Athlete development hubs
The Lightning athlete development hub programme's vision is to deliver a player-centred environment focusing on fundamental skill development, athlete education and match play opportunities.
Our aims are:
- To develop the next generation of netball talent in the East Midlands.
- To provide a challenging learning environment to encourage the development of technical skills and game understanding.
- To provide opportunities for regular competition.
- To deliver a holistic athlete education programme.
- To develop local coaches through CPD opportunities in the hubs.
Our programme aims to introduce athletes to the Lightning way, enabling them to improve their skills while developing new ones in a safe and fun environment. The programme provides opportunities to complement athletes' current netball provision, whether in school, county, or Club.
We currently run U14 and U16 programmes in various locations. The locations currently confirmed for 2025/6 are Ely, Lincoln, Loughborough, Long Eaton, Oundle, Newcastle Under Lyme, Repton, and Uppingham. Venue details will be confirmed in due course.
2025/26 Programme and training information
The Athlete Development Hubs run between September and February in three six-week blocks, with 1.5-hour sessions on Friday evenings. At the end of each six-week block, an internal tournament is held, during which all the hubs come together at Loughborough University to play against each other.
Where possible and as far as we can, we try to run blocks in term time only to maximise attendance at each session.
The dates for the programme are confirmed below (tournament dates to be confirmed).
Block one
- 5, 12, 19 and 26 September
- 3 and 10 October
Block two
- 7, 14, 21 and 28 November
- 5 and 12 December
Block three
- 9, 16, 23 and 30 January
- 6 and 13 February
2025 Trials
Trials for our 2025/26 cohort of Hub athletes have now concluded. Thank you to all of those who have taken part.
Eligibility
Please note we follow England Netball’s age banding policies, which may not translate into school years.
U14
12-14 years old – Athletes must be at least 12 but UNDER 14 at 23.59pm 31 December 2025.
Athletes need to be at least 12 but U14 (i.e. 13 before 31 December) but if you turn 14 on 1st January, the hub will be U14.
U16
14-16 years old - Athletes must be OVER 14 but UNDER 16 at 23.59pm 31 December 2025.
Athletes need to be at least 14 but U16 (i.e. 15 before 31st December) but you could turn 16 on 1st January, the hub will be U16.
2025/26 Coaching teams
Lincoln Minster School
U14 and U16
- Head Coach – Shannon Day
- Assistant Coach – Amy Wright Foster
Loughborough Girls' High School
U14 and U16
- Head Coach – Kaysha Wallis
- Assistant Coach – Esme Robb
Friesland School
U14
- Head Coach – Connie Xavier
- Assistant Coach – Amy Straughan
Uppingham School
U14
- Head Coach – Megan Sayers
- Assistant Coach – Kerry Gardner
U16
- Head Coach – Kerry Gardner
- Assistant Coach – Megan Sayers
Oundle School
U16
- Head Coach – Sam Morris
- Assistant Coach – Franca Cianni
Hastings School, Hinckley/Burbage
U14 and U16
- Head Coach – TBC
- Assistant Coach – TBC
Repton School
U14
- Head Coach – Bex Stewart
- Assistant Coach – Lora Turner
U16
- Head Coach – Ruth Sampson
- Assistant Coach – Lora Turner
Newcastle Under Lyme School
U14
- Head Coach – Sarah Hancock
- Assistant Coach – Laura Bevans
U16
- Head Coach – Sarah Hancock
- Assistant Coach – Laura Bevans
Kings Ely
U14/16
- Head Coach – Kelsey Elliott
- Assistant Coach – Charlotte Elliott
Trial information
Trials for 2025/26 Athlete Development Hubs have now concluded.
Further information
If the above hasn’t been able to answer your questions, please contact Fiona Madeley.
Fiona Madeley Senior Community and Athlete Development Hub Officer