The Lightning Academy
The Lightning Academy’s aim is to find and grow competitive players and coaches with the aspirations and ability to compete at an elite level.
Our Academy
º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Lightning Academy is one of the providers of England Netball’s performance pathway for East Midlands and South surrounding areas. The aim of our Academy is to inspire and develop players with the highest potential to learn, develop and progress into senior domestic and international netball.
We have a rich history of developing some of the world’s best netball talent and we offer outstanding opportunities for athletes to access technical coaching, world class training facilities, strength and conditioning programming, performance analysis support, sport psychologist support and many more interdisciplinary services.
We are excited to share with you our Academy Structure for the 2024-25 season:
Our Success
Season 2023-24
U21 NPL Champions
U19 NPL Third Place
U17 NPL Northern Division Runner’s Up
England Netball Player Pathway
The purpose of the England Netball Player Pathway is to support the development of athletes. The player development journey is an evolutionary process, individual specific and shaped by experiences.
The Player Pathway
Below is our current performance pathway structure:
U23 Academy League
For 2024, England Netball and Superleague 2.0 have announced a new U23 competition. The new Under 23 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 will select squads of between 16-20 athletes, of which 4 can be over-age. NSL teams will be able to call upon athletes from their Under 23 squads as temporary replacement players, whilst athletes can be called upon by any club as permanent NSL replacements in the case of long-term injuries
NSL Clubs are required to register the first 12 athletes for the Under 23 feeder competition by mid-September, with the remaining athletes being registered by the end of September/early October.
For further information or to register your interest please contact our Franchise Pathway Lead.
More Information
Eligibility Criteria
U23/NSL Futures Academy Eligibility Criteria
Under-23 as of 23:59 on 31st December 2024
*additional 4 players are not restricted by the eligibility criteria
U17-U21 Academy Eligibility Criteria
U17
Under-17 and over the age of 13 as of 23:59 on 31st December 2024
*Please note, we do not accept any triallists who are U13 i.e. Year 8 (01/09/11 – 31/08/12)
U19
Under-19 and over the age of 16 as of 23:59 on 31st December 2024
U21
Under-21 and over the age of 18 as of 23:59 on 31st December 2024
U15 Academy Eligibility Criteria
Athlete is Under-15 at 23:59 on 31st August 2025 – born on 1st September 2009 or after.
Athlete is currently part of an any EN Player Pathway Programme, for example:
- County Player Development Programme (PDP)
- Franchise Academy (Under 19 or Under 17)
- Franchise Player Development Programme (PDP)
Additionally, athletes need to fulfil the following criteria prior to signing up to trial (trials to be held in January 2025):
- Athlete is an EN member
- Athlete are registered on ENgage as a member of the England Netball Player Pathway Programme by the time they attend the trials in January 2025
- All athletes attending trials MUST be linked to their Player Pathway Programme on Engage. Please check that this has happened, as we cannot offer a place to any athlete who is not linked.
Under-15 selection process
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Our selection for our U15 Academy 2024 has concluded. We will post further information outlying the selection process for our U15 Academy 2025 in due course
Trials
Our U17, U19 and U21 Academies Trials are now open. The closing date for entries is 11th August 2024.
- Please note that we will trial you in groups according to your date of birth.
- You may not be invited to all sessions, but you must be available for all sessions (including the reserve sessions)
- We are unable to support requests to trial on certain days.
- We are unable to support late trial requests.
- Please see the FAQ section for further details/information
Please see the confirmed dates below:
U17 Academy
U17 Academy (NPL and PDP) - Stage 1:
- Saturday 7th September – 9.00-18.00
- Sunday 8th September – 9.00-18.00
U17 Academy (NPL) - Stage 2:
- Tuesday 10th September – 18.00-21.00
- Tuesday 17th September – 18.00-21.00 (Reserve Date)
U17 Development (PDP) - Stage 2:
- Wednesday 11th September – 18.00-21.00
- Wednesday 18th September – 18.00-21.00 (Reserve Date)
U19 Academy
U19 Academy (NPL) – Stage 1
- Saturday 7th September – 9.00-18.00
- Sunday 8th September – 9.00-18.00
U19 Academy (NPL) – Stage 2
- Thursday 12th September – 18.00-21.00
- Tuesday 17th September – 18.00-21.00 (Reserve Date)
U21 Development (PDP) / U23
- Thursday 19th September – 18.00-21.00
U15 Academy Trials – Stage 1
Trials will be held in January 2025. Further details to be released in November
Selection
Each season we host open trial opportunities for athletes to be selected into our º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Lightning Pathway. All athletes, regardless of selection from previous seasons, must register and attend trials.
Selection is done in line with England Netball guidelines and our º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Lightning Selection Policy which you can view here (pdf).
If you have any questions relating to the Lightning Academy, please get in touch with our Franchise Pathway Lead, Josie Pointon - j.pointon@lboro.ac.uk
Safeguarding
º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Lightning is committed to ensuring your child plays netball in a safe environment. As part of this commitment staff, coaches and volunteers coming into contact with our athletes will meet the following criteria:
- Valid UKCC Level 2 (Head Coaches)
- Valid UKCC Level 1 or 2 (Assistant Coaches)
- Valid 1st Aid Certificate
- Will have undergone a Disclosure and barring service (DBS) check with º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ to ensure their suitability.
If you have any safeguarding concerns please contact our Safeguarding Officer, Chloe Hemmings.
Read our safeguarding policy here.
Please note that the Lead Safeguarding Officer may refer the matter to the NGB England Netball, Local Authority Children’s Services Department, the Police, or Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) should the child need immediate attention.
England Netball Safeguarding Information:
England Netball report a safeguarding concern
There is a section on the England Netball website dedicated to reporting safeguarding concerns.
Concerns can be raised by sending an email to besafe@englandnetball.co.uk or using and completing the concern report form found through the link above.
Any adult concerned about the welfare of a child or young person can call the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000 or email help@nspcc.org.uk. A dedicated O2/NSPCC online safety helpline is available on 0808 800 5002. Children can contact ChildLine for free on 0800 1111 or visit childline.org.uk and speak to a counsellor about a worry or concern they may have 365-days-a-year.
Complaints and Feedback
For more information on the our complaints and feedback policy, click here.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is NPL?
The National Performance Leagues (NPL) are England Netball sanctioned competitions for both U17 & U19 squads. It is designed to provide the game’s outstanding youth players with a performance environment. It is an organised, highly disciplined intense competition against the English Netball Super League franchises and any other invited teams.
What is a PDP?
Our Player Development Programmes (PDP) are focused on providing players with an understanding of how to train and compete with competition being used to consolidate game understanding, refining skills, and see improvements in decision making. All our PDPs compete in regular fixtures against other franchises, although there is no formal competition provided by England Netball.
Where are the Academy programmes based?
All our Academy training takes place in venues in º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ.
What nights do the Academy train?
We are currently working through our training schedule for 2024-25.
- Our U17 NPL train on a Tuesday evening
- Our U19 NPL train on a Tuesday and Thursday evening
- Our U17 PDP train on a Wednesday evening
- Our U21 PDP train on a Tuesday evening
Are trials open?
Our trials for our U17, U19 and U21 programmes are open and are available to book via the trial page on the website
Our trials for U15 Academy have specific eligibility criteria. Please see eligibility page on the website. Our U15 Trials are scheduled for January 2025 and will be released for booking in November.
We are currently taking expressions of interest in our U23 Competition Squad. Please see U23 League page on the website for further information
Can you trial for multiple age-groups?
No. We ask you only sign up for your current age-group. It is the discretion of the Academy Selection Panel if a player is able to trial or play in a older age-group
Do trials last the full day?
No, you will be provided with a 2 hour trial session within the allocation dates. You must provide availability for all advertised trial dates (including the reserve sessions)
What happens if you are successful after your Stage 1 Trial?
You will be invited to our Stage 2 trials for the relevant Academy group
What happens if you are unavailable for a trial date?
Due to the sheer number of requests we are unable to guarantee requests to trial on certain days and sessions. We do our best to be accommodating but this is not guaranteed. Please note requests to go straight to Stage 2 trials will not be accepted.
Where are the trials based?
The trials are all based at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ
I’ve just booked, when will I receive further information?
Closing date for trials is 11th August. We will be in touch w/c 26th August with our trial allocation and further information. You will have received a confirmation email following your booking, please check you junk emails
What is the new U23 League?
The new Under 23 League will replace the previous Under 21 NPL League and will feature home and away round-robin fixtures aligned to the NSL; in order to support the transition of athletes into the NSL, Clubs can select up to 4 over-age players in their Under 23 squads.
Do the Athlete Development Hubs form part of the Academy?
Our Athlete Development Hubs do not form part of our Academy. They are a performance programme designed to supplement current netball provision. The programme aims to deliver a player-centred environment with a focus on fundamental skill development, athlete education and match play opportunities.
