Celebrations in Singapore

Christmas came early for two Mavs, as they travelled to Singapore with the England U25 men's squad for the Men's Netball Nations Series. The week-long competition saw England take on the world's best, Australia, and also play against New Zealand, Hong Kong, and hosts, Singapore, among others. Sonning Common's Jacob Kirby was one of fourteen players selected for England who made the trip to Singapore and he received his first international caps during the competition.

Jacob has only been playing netball for a year but was scouted at August's men's National Championships and then chosen for the U25 squad after trials in September. Since then, he's played training matches against the England Roses, Northern Ireland, Scotland and English Universities plus attending training camps every weekend. He said:

"Being chosen for the U25 squad was a massive honour. I am so new to the sport and I know I have so much to learn that being selected was something I didn't imagine would happen so quickly. The whole squad bonded really well and even though all the training before we travelled was hard work, it was great for us as a group."

Jacob's first international cap, and first international goals, came against New Zealand before he took to court the next day against Australia, the world leaders in men's netball. He said:

"Playing against New Zealand, and then against, Australia, was an experience I'll never forget. The New Zealanders are really strong on court - their defence is excellent and they are a loud and physical team to come up against. For that to be my first taste of international netball was fantastic and I took so much from that match."

"The Australians were just another level on, even from New Zealand. A number of their players had just come from the Fast 5 World Championships and their speed and fight for every ball is insane. It's hard coming up against such an established squad and even though we lost the game, you learn so much just from being near a team like Australia and seeing how they prepare and train."

England's final game was a play-off for 5th against Malaysia and this was a real nail-biter, showing just how much England had progressed during the week. After fighting back from an 8-goal deficit, England took the game to extra time and just missed out on the win in the final moments of the match. 

"Despite the loss in that last match, we are so proud of how we performed in Singapore. We're such a young squad, a handful of our players are still teenagers, but we played some great netball across the week, we held our own against the top teams and we finished the competition having all made massive improvements and that's thanks to having played the best in the world."

"The real highlight though has to be the camaraderie amongst all the countries. When we were all on court, we all played really hard and the level of contest in every game was way above anything I've experienced before. But the minute the final whistle went, every team was supportive of each other and it's obvious all the players just want men's netball to develop."

"I would like to thank everyone at the England Men's and Mixed Netball Association for all the hard work they put into the team and for giving us such a great experience. Thanks also to everyone at Thames Mavericks for all the messages of support they sent me and I'm more determined than ever to continue representing England, and Mavs, in the months and years to come."

Mavs' player/coach Tamryn Settle also travelled to Singapore with the squad and participated in the first men's netball World Congress. Hosted by the global governing body, World Netball, this meeting saw countries from all over the world take part, either in person or virtually, to discuss the future of men's netball and this historic conference saw several resolutions passed that will accelerate the growth and development of netball for men and boys around the world. 

"It was such a privilege to be in the room for this meeting," says Tamryn. "To hear the President of World Netball say that they have 'a new purpose for netball... a vision of a sport that's open to all' was truly significant and meant so much to all the countries and passionate individuals who have dedicated so much to the growth of the sport across the world. I am thrilled to be part of the England Men's and Mixed Netball Association development team and we are looking forward to an incredibly exciting 2024."

Thames Mavericks will be part of this drive to ensure that everyone who wants to play netball can, regardless of gender. With large squads entered in both the men's and mixed national leagues, weekly mixed matches in a local competition and big ambitions for the summer's National Championships, this is the year to be on court for men's and mixed netball. 

All photos courtesy of England Men's & Mixed Netball Association.