
Show Notes
The Commonwealth Games are here, and Chloe and Paul have whipped out the lesser-spotted quad box to help preview this mighty netball event. Joining us is five-time Netball Super League-winning coach Karen Greig and Sky Sports commentator Lucy Goodman, who will be part of our cast for Glasgow 2026. Before we get into the battle for gold, silver and bronze, we take the chance to grill Karen on a new-look Thunder as three players join the champions' roster for 2027 after a busy start to the Netball Super League signing window. Karen talks us through the battle to keep players in the NSL, and how to evolve a squad, develop players and continue to challenge for championships. After that, it's onto the Games themselves, and we start by looking at a tumultuous time for England as Sharni Norder becomes the latest high-profile departure from the coaching set-up. We break down Anna Stembridge’s options and how she navigates them through a brutal schedule - whether she sticks with the same starting seven or shakes it up, and whether the Roses risk missing a medal for the first time or can genuinely push for gold. We get Karen and Lucy's thoughts on Australia and New Zealand, debate whether South Africa is ready to challenge for a medal and ask if Jamaica can repeat the silver they won at the Netball World Cup despite their shooting circle concerns. The battle between Wales and Scotland promises to be one for the ages, while Malawi and Uganda will once again look to underline netball's growth on the African continent. Plenty to debate and enjoy in what looks like a competition to remember. A reminder: you'll be able to catch us daily through the tournament, so notifications on, subscribe to all our feeds and get ready for a netball summer to remember.
More from Netball Unlocked Podcast
England have a head coach, after Anna Stembridge was named as Roses head coach through to Sydney 2027. Chloe and Paul quickly convene to discuss the breaking news and what it means for the national side, with 10 months to go until the showpiece event. Tamsin Greenway joins the coaching set up as Technical Coach, and Jo Harten retains her position as Technical Coach as the Roses look to bounce back from a fourth placed finish at the Commonwealth Games. Paul and Chloe consider the process that has led us here, and what it means going forward with confirmation that recruitment for post Sydney 2027 will get underway in the Spring.
Two years on from the heartbreak of missing out the launch of netball 2.0 and the UK's journey to professionalisation, Project Phoenix has been launched in the South West with the ambition of bringing the Netball Super League back to the region. After going public with their goals recently, we wanted to find out more about what they are up to, what they are doing and where they want to go. Paul sits down with Emily Siddy, Franchise Manager for Project Phoenix and Netball Manager for Team Bath, to find out how combining the two roles is keeping her busy. Emily talks us through how the events of a couple of years ago are the driving force for the project, and how the lessons learned will shape any prospective franchise in the years ahead. Team Bath are backing the ambition, so we discuss how running a pathway and a NXTGen team has been crucial for the area and its athletes, but also the challenge that provides without an end goal for ambitious players. We dive into the discussion on the process that goes into becoming a Super League franchise, with the goal of putting something in front of England Netball in 2027 - the journey promises to be a fascinating one.
Settle in, we've got a lot to get through, as it turns out a month is a long time in netball. Chloe and Paul return to get stuck into a stack of news from around the world - and vow that the gap to the next pod won't be anywhere near as long. Domestically we break down the 2027 Netball Super League fixtures, and take a closer look at double headers, arena games and more - but the huge news that dominates the chat is where NSL 2.0 finds itself after the departure of Managing Director Claire Nelson. With England yet to make an announcement on the head coach, and the Roses finishing fourth at the Commonwealth Games, there is a whole heap of uncertainty around the game on these shores. Before that, we start with news on the Netball World Cup returning to England, with Manchester awarded the 2031 tournament, but that also means changes to the stated ambition of a World Cup every two years from 2029, and a brand new biennial tournament. We get the lowdown from inside the Northern Ireland camp on a nailbiting weekend in Glasgow as the Warriors pip Wales to join Scotland in qualifying for Sydney 2027 - what does that mean for the Feathers? Sheonah Forbes, Warriors head coach, joins us to discuss what's in store for the next 12 months and what qualification means for the nation. In Africa, Namibia and Malawi also claimed World Cup places, while Uganda beat South Africa to win the Africa Netball Cup. And we round things off by taking a look ahead to a fascinating Constellation Cup at the end of October, and where both Australia and New Zealand are at the moment after a gold for the Silver Ferns in Glasgow and a bronze for the Diamonds.
Paul and Chloe return to make sense of the conclusion of the signings window in the NSL, and a dramatic run of news from Australia as the Super Netball teams race to complete their rosters. Before that, there’s a spin through the news, as Singapore and Hong Kong become the latest teams to book their place at the 2027 Netball World Cup, and Wales confirm Reinga Bloxham as their Interim Head Coach. After, we dive into the final four teams to be confirmed in the Netball Super League and ask a few questions with all 10 teams announced. Do Hannah Leighton and Hannah Gibson give Lightning enough of a refresh and are Dragons now serious contenders for the Top 4? A total reboot (again) for Panthers and Rhinos has brought some new faces into the league but both franchises face the question as to whether they can make the leap to contenders. We then shift focus to Australia as the Super Netball window finally opens, with controversy surrounding Kate Eddy who goes unsigned. West Coast Fever shake up their attack end, Melbourne Vixens cause a stir but have they missed a trick, and new franchise Sirens make a big splash with Grace Nweke, who is replaced at Swifts by Mary Cholhok. With only two England Roses across the Super Netball squads, and the flood of Sliver Ferns continuing we ask what it means for the World Cup. There's a whole lot to dive into, including a busy few weeks which feature U15 franchise Academies at the School Games and on Sunday, August 30, the EMMNA UK National Finals, with tickets still available here. A final shout out that if you haven’t already, please subscribe to our Spotify and YouTube feeds as they’ll be plenty more to come over the off season.
The netball world is rife with signing news, so in a change of pace, we’re bringing you our latest Big Interview with London Mavericks’ 2027 star import signing, Uneeq Palavi. Currently unwinding from an industrious Commonwealth Games campaign, Chloe and Uneeq’s wide-ranging conversation begins with Glasgow 2026 and Tonga’s first-ever appearance in the netball tournament. Uneeq shares what it means to be part of that historic chapter, and more broadly, her journey with the Tala, which began in earnest after a prompt from her grandmother. Talk then turns to Uneeq’s netball origin story, which, somewhat unbelievably, she stresses that it began with a shy, uncoordinated 12-year-old backed with a little bit of basketball know-how. Rising through the ranks and growing on the way, the Australian-born Tongan recalls the moment Brioney Akle gave her her Super Netball debut in 2024 in Sydney, and just what it meant to finally achieve a lifelong dream. From the Swifts to the Melbourne Mavericks, Uneeq opens up on her time at the club and reveals the reason why, despite a historic season for the club, she decided to depart for the London Mavericks in the NSL. Finally, Tamsin Greenway, haggis, fish & chips all feature before Uneeq gives her pitch to the listeners as to why they should follow her and her new team in 2027.