London Pulse at the heart of netball revolution
Girls are dropping out of sport at an alarming rate.
Indeed, more than a million teenage girls who once considered themselves ‘sporty’, disengage from sport after primary school, according to Women in Sport.
Netball is a true reflection of these statistics. In school, it is one of the most accessed and played sports by girls, but these habits do not continue into adulthood, with over a third of teenage girls dropping out of the sport completely, England Netball reports.
A lack of televised games and funding has contributed to this trend, but that is all about to change. This year, netball has gone professional, and fresh television deals mean that girls will be able to watch their role models regularly and free of charge.
Netball Super League secures TV deals
“When I was younger, I didn’t think that netball was a viable career option,” Sophie Kelly exclusively told the Sports Gazette. Now London Pulse’s shooter is part of a collective of players who can consider the sport as a profession.
BBC Sport has clinched a two-year deal with England Netball to deliver free-to-air coverage of the Netball Super League, while Sky Sports has penned a three-year deal – both are airing one live match per week.
Kelly added: “First of all, it’s super important because more people can watch it, especially without a subscription.
“I think for younger girls, watching the sport that you love being played on TV is so inspiring. When I was younger, it was hard to watch it. I watched maybe one or two games a season. Having this now, young girls will have those aspirations.”
Going professional will increase competition
Alicia Scholes, daughter of Manchester United legend Paul Scholes, has grown up in a household built on sporting prowess and knows that going professional will take netball to a new vantage point.
“I feel like the difference is going to be massive,” she told the Sports Gazette, with a grip of certainty in her voice.
“The intensity of the games is going to go so high, and I just think every week, it’s going to be so hard to get a win.”
Despite the tough competition, London Pulse have made light work of their early season opponents. After defeating the defending champions, Loughborough Lightning, last weekend, they are two wins from two with confidence oozing through their veins.
London Pulse targeting Super League title
London Pulse entered the new season on the back of lifting the inaugural Super Cup after defeating Leeds Rhinos in the final. By doing so, they captured their first-ever senior trophy in front of 8,000 fans.
“To win the Super League is the biggest goal – it would just mean everything,” said Darcie Everitt, sister of Pulse captain Zara.
“For our team especially, I feel like we deserve it more. It’s something we’ve been building towards for the last three years. Last year, we were quite close to it and, off the back of that, we can go one step further this year.”
London Pulse are striving to make more history by selling out their stadium, the Copper Box Arena, for the first time as they take on London Mavericks this evening.
The fixture between the capital’s two sides will mark the first-ever London derby and will further encapsulate a younger generation who have more access than ever before to watch their idols.
While London Pulse come across as a modest group of young athletes playing the sport they love, they represent a cohort of players who are defining the sport and inspiring future generations of young talent.
