NXT Gen league

For 2025, England Netball and Superleague 2.0 have announced a new U23 competition, branded NXT Gen. This league will replace the previous Under 21 NPL League.

The Under 23 feeder competition is aligned to the Super League with double round-robin home and away games, providing more competitive fixtures for this age group than ever before and protecting opportunities for younger NSL players who may otherwise be displaced by the reduction in NSL club places and reduced squad sizes.

Teams can select squads of 16-20 athletes, of which four can be over-age. NSL teams will be able to call upon athletes from their NXT Gen squads as temporary replacement players, whilst any club can call upon athletes as permanent NSL replacements in the case of long-term injuries.

The majority of our NXT Gen fixtures will be played as curtain raisers to our NSL fixtures, allowing fans to watch even more elite netball.

New for 2026: NXT Gen Development

We are replacing our U21 PDP programme with a NXT Gen Development Academy. This Academy will see a small number of training partners selected for the upcoming season to train alongside our NXT Gen and NSL squads.

Applications open for our NXT Gen teams for 2026

For more information on our NXT Gen Squads for 2026 season and to express interest, please contact our Franchise Pathway Lead: Josie Pointon.