Loughborough Lightning (netball)

In 2005 Loughborough Lightning were named as the East Midlands franchise in the new Netball Super League. 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][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]

Lightning made their first Super League grand final in 2007–08 where the lost to Galleria Mavericks.^[4][5]

They made further grand finals 2017 and 2018 but lost to Wasps Netball both times 55-11.^[6][7][8][9]

Lightning coached by Sara Francis-Bayman and captained by Natalie Panagarry won their first Super League title in 2021, defeating Team Bath.^[10] They would go on to make four consecutive grand finals, winning back to back titles in 2023 and 2024.

Loughborough Lightning made their Netball Super Leagueeague Grand Final debut in 2007–08.^[4][5]

Season	Winners	Score	Runners up	Venue
2007–08[4][5]	Galleria Mavericks	43–39	Loughborough Lightning	K2 Leisure Centre
2017[6][7]	Wasps Netball	55–51	Loughborough Lightning	Barclaycard Arena
2018[8][9]	Wasps Netball	55–51	Loughborough Lightning	Copper Box Arena
2021[10]	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
2024	Loughborough Lightning	70-54	Manchester Thunder	Resorts World Arena
2025	London Pulse	53-45	Loughborough Lightning	The O2 Arena

In 2017 Loughborough Lightning won the inaugural British Fast5 Netball All-Stars Championship.^[11]

Season	Winners	Score	Runners up	Venue
2017 [11]	Loughborough Lightning	35–33	Team Bath	The O2 Arena
2019 [12][13]	Loughborough Lightning	61–35	Wasps Netball	Copper Box Arena

Loughborough Lightning play their home games at the Sir David Wallace Sports Centre at Loughborough University and Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham.^[14][15][16]

Summarize Timeline Top Qs Fact Check

2026 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) 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 GS 16 January 1994 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Jessica Shaw C, WA 17 April 1996 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) Celena Appleby-Prince GK,GD 4 November 2004 1.86 m (6 ft 1 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: 2 January 2026

 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:^[17][18][19]

Coach	Years
Margaret Foster[20][21]	2013–2014
Karen Atkinson[21][22][23][24]	2014–2017
Anna Carter [25]	2017–2018
Sara Bayman[26][27]	2018–2021
Victoria Burgess[28]	2021-

• Netball Super League: 2021, 2023, 2024 Runners up: 2007–08, 2017, 2018, 2022
• British Fast5 Netball All-Stars Championship: 2017, 2019