Loughborough Lightning (netball)

Loughborough Lightning is an English netball team based at Loughborough University. Their senior team plays in the Netball Superleague. In 2005–06 they were founder members of the league. They also enter under-19 and under-21 teams in the National Performance League. Using the name Loughborough Students, Loughborough University also enter teams in intervarsity leagues organised by British Universities and Colleges Sport.^[1][2] Together with the women's cricket team, the women's rugby union team, the women's cycling team, the women's football team and the women's wheelchair basketball team, the netball team is one of five women's sports teams based at Loughborough University that use the Loughborough Lightning name.^[3]

Loughborough Lightning

Full name	Loughborough Students Netball Club
Nickname(s)	Lightning
Based in	Loughborough University
Regions	East Midlands
Home venue	Sir David Wallace Sports Centre Loughborough University
Head coach	Vic Burgess
League	Netball Superleague
Website	www.lboro.ac.uk
Uniform

History

In 2005 Loughborough Lightning were named as the East Midlands franchise in the new Netball Superleague. Together with Brunel Hurricanes, Celtic Dragons, Leeds Carnegie, Galleria Mavericks, Northern Thunder, Team Bath and Team Northumbria, Lightning were founder members of the league.^[1][4]

Senior finals

Netball Superleague Grand Finals

Loughborough Lightning made their Netball Superleague Grand Final debut in 2007–08.^[5][6]

Season	Winners	Score	Runners up	Venue
2007–08[5][6]	Galleria Mavericks	43–39	Loughborough Lightning	K2 Leisure Centre
2017[7][8]	Wasps Netball	55–51	Loughborough Lightning	Barclaycard Arena
2018[9][10]	Wasps Netball	55–51	Loughborough Lightning	Copper Box Arena
2021[11]	Loughborough Lightning	49–32	Team Bath	Copper Box Arena
2022	Manchester Thunder	60–53	Loughborough Lightning	Copper Box Arena
2023	Loughborough Lightning	57–48	London Pulse	Copper Box Arena

Fast5 Netball All-Stars Championship

In 2017 Loughborough Lightning won the inaugural British Fast5 Netball All-Stars Championship.^[12]

Season	Winners	Score	Runners up	Venue
2017 [12]	Loughborough Lightning	35–33	Team Bath	The O2 Arena
2019 [13][14]	Loughborough Lightning	61–35	Wasps Netball	Copper Box Arena

Home venue

Loughborough Lightning play their home games at the Sir David Wallace Sports Centre at Loughborough University.^[15][16]

Notable players

2025 squad

2025 Loughborough Lightning roster
Players	Coaching staff
Nat. Name Position(s) DoB Height Beth Cobden WD, C, GD 3 February 1993 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) Alice Harvey GK, GD 3 April 2001 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) Hannah Joseph WA, C 8 February 1994 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) Natalie Panagarry (c) C, WD 27 December 1990 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) Ella Clark GA, GS 8 February 1992 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) Jodie Gibson GD, GK 30 October 1992 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) Bella Baylis C, WA 5 November 2003 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) Shadine van der Merwe GD, WD, GK 25 November 1992 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) Berri Neil GA, GS 12 February 2003 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) Samantha Wallace (netball) GS 16 January 1994 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)	Head coach Vic Burgess Notes (c) – Captain (cc) – Co-captain (vc) – Vice-captain – Injury / maternity leave (TRP) – Temporary Replacement Player
Player profiles: Team website	Last updated: 26 October 2024

Internationals

 England

Ama Agbeze Karen Atkinson Sophia Candappa Ella Clark Jade Clarke Beth Cobden

Sasha Corbin Chloe Essam Jodie Gibson Layla Guscoth Joanne Harten

Hannah Joseph Olivia Murphy Natalie Panagarry Emma Thacker Fran Williams

 Northern Ireland

• Niamh Cooper
• Michelle Drayne
• Michelle Magee
• Oonagh McCulloch

 Jamaica

• Shamera Sterling
• Vanessa Walker

 Scotland

• Ella Gibbons

 South Africa

• Maryka Holtzhausen
• Phumza Maweni
• Renske Stoltz
• Shadine van der Merwe

 Uganda

• Mary Cholhok Nuba
• Peace Proscovia

 Wales

• Rebecca James

 Zimbabwe

• Adelaide Muskwe

Source:^[2][17][18]

Head coaches

Coach	Years
Margaret Foster[19][20]	2013–2014
Karen Atkinson[20][21][22][23]	2014–2017
Anna Carter [24]	2017–2018
Sara Bayman[25][26]	2018–

Honours

• Netball Superleague
  • Runners up: 2007–08, 2017, 2018, 2022: 4
  • Winners: 2021, 2023: 2
• British Fast5 Netball All-Stars Championship
  • Winners: 2017, 2019: 2

Sponsorship

In February 2023, clothing retailer Long Tall Sally were confirmed as the team's headline sponsor for the 2023 Netball Superleague season.^[27]

References

1. "About Us". www.lboro.ac.uk. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
2. "Performance netball". www.lboro.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 28 March 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
3. "Loughborough Lightning". www.lboro.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 21 June 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
4. Dr. Louise Mansfield & Dr. Lara Killick (1 January 2012). "The UK Netball Superleague: A Case Study of Franchising in Elite Women's Sport" (PDF). Brunel University, School of Sport and Education, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK; and University of the Pacific, Department of Health, Exercise and Sport Science, Stockton, CA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 August 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
5. "Third time lucky for magnificent Mavericks". www.whtimes.co.uk. 6 April 2008. Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
6. "Mavericks win Netball Superleague final". www.sportsister.com. 8 April 2008. Archived from the original on 4 February 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
7. "Netball Superleague: Wasps beat Loughborough Lightning in Grand Final". www.bbc.co.uk. 11 June 2017. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
8. "Wasps Netball beat Loughborough Lightning in Netball Superleague Grand Final". www.skysports.com. 15 June 2017. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
9. "Wasps beat Loughborough Lightning to claim back-to-back Netball Superleague titles". www.skysports.com. 7 July 2018. Archived from the original on 27 February 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
10. "Superleague Grand Final: Wasps 55-51 Loughborough". www.bbc.co.uk. 8 July 2018. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
11. "Netball Superleague 2021: Loughborough Lightning beat Team Bath in final". www.bbc.co.uk. 27 June 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
12. "Lightning crowned British Fast5 All-Stars Champions". www.englandnetball.co.uk. 26 September 2017. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
13. "Loughborough Lightning Netball are crowned 2019 Fast 5 All-Star Champions". www.lboro.ac.uk. 12 October 2019. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
14. "Jo Harten shoots Loughborough Lightning to British Fast5 Netball All-Stars Championship title". www.bbc.co.uk. 12 October 2019. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
15. "Loughborough Lightning". www.netballsl.com. Archived from the original on 16 May 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
16. "Sports Halls". www.lboro.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
17. "Loughborough Netballers get set to compete on World Stage". www.lboro.ac.uk. 11 July 2019. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
18. "Nine Loughborough netballers selected for Commonwealth Games". www.lboro.ac.uk. 2 March 2018. Archived from the original on 28 January 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
19. "New Zealand coach appointed to begin new era for Loughborough Lightning". www.lboro.ac.uk. 8 October 2013. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
20. "Karen Atkinson named Loughborough Lightning coach". www.bbc.co.uk. 19 August 2014. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
21. "A Lightning return for new head coach Karen Atkinson". www.lboro.ac.uk. 19 August 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
22. "Karen Atkinson: Loughborough Lightning head coach to step down". www.bbc.co.uk. 20 July 2017. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
23. "Atkinson to step down as Loughborough Lightning Netball Head Coach". www.lboro.ac.uk. 20 July 2017. Archived from the original on 2 November 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
24. "Carter to step down from Director of Netball position at the end of the season". www.lboro.ac.uk. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
25. "Loughborough Lightning appoint Bayman as new Director of Netball". www.lboro.ac.uk. 12 July 2018. Archived from the original on 1 October 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
26. "Lightning Netball confirm coaching line-up for 2019". www.lboro.ac.uk. 9 November 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
27. "Peterborough fashion retailer Long Tall Sally gives its support to leading netball team". peterboroughtoday.co.uk. 14 February 2023.

External links

• Loughborough Lightning on Facebook
• Loughborough Students Netball Club on Facebook
• Loughborough Lightning on Twitter
• Loughborough Students Netball Club on Twitter