Launched in February 2025, we gave netball grassroots teams the chance to win a unique netball package, in collaboration with electrical goods retail giants AO and kit designers VX3.
With approximately 700,000 women and girls playing netball each week in the UK, and 3.1 million people playing the sport annually, it is the highest female participation sport in the UK.
The competition, which was the first of its kind in netball, was designed to open barriers to players and communities that may not be able to afford netball kit, using the power of sport to inspire the next generation. It allowed ten lucky clubs to win a netball bundle worth more than £500 each, which included bespoke dresses and t-shirts for each team, tickets to watch a Manchester Thunder game and also an exclusive training session with Manchester Thunder stars.
At the time of the launch, Arafa Heneghan, Director of Brand at AO, said: “We’re incredibly passionate about supporting young people and grassroots team sports at AO, so we’re thrilled to run this competition for the next generation of netball stars, alongside Manchester Thunder.
“We know how much pride players take in their kits, so ten lucky teams getting the chance to create something bespoke with VX3 is really exciting.”
The competition attracted entries from over two hundred teams, each with their own compelling stories of why they deserved to win, and after a stringent selection process, the lucky teams were selected.
The winning teams are made up of different age groups, playing abilities and communities. One of the winning teams, Krimmz Girls, is a netball haven for girls to fill a vital gap in the diverse Bolton community, predominately serving minority ethnic Muslim girls, for whom traditional netball routes are often unsuitable. Championing community impact, whilst playing friendly matches with other local groups to promote integration, they offer access to netball which the players wouldn’t have access to otherwise.
Last week, three of the winning teams were presented their new bespoke kit at Platt Lane Sports Complex, including Chester Netball Club, Ribble Valley Netball Club and Thundercats from Bangor in Wales.
Maya Nelson, Head Coach of Ribble Valley U11s said: “Getting the kit means a lot to the club. I think the dress, especially with them being different to our usual kit, is a really nice touch, and it’s something that we can wear to competitions and different events, and feel a little bit special. We’re always trying to recycle kit through pre-loved sales, so it’s nice for the girls to be able to be gifted something new through the competition, and not having to wear second hand kit. We were all absolutely buzzing and we couldn’t believe it.”
As part of their prize, three of Manchester Thunder’s 2025 squad were in attendance to run an exclusive training session with all three teams, which included warn up drills, a skills session and also match play.
Clare Wallace, Head Coach of Thundercats U12s said: “When we won, we couldn’t believe it. We’ve already been to watch the Thunder match as part of the prize, and it was absolutely amazing, especially since it was the first time some of them had watched a professional match. And today we couldn’t believe we’re having a training session as-well.
“The team that are receiving the kits are a newly formed team, so they’ve never been in the junior league before. They really can’t wait, and it’s taken the pressure off trying to find sponsorship, paying for the kits and they also look amazing.”
Chester Netball Club suffered a blow last summer when due to adverse weather conditions their club tournament had to be called off after a couple of games. This tournament is always a major funding stream for the club to secure extra funds for kits and equipment, so the competition couldn’t have come at a better time.
Gary Young, Commercial Director at Manchester Thunder concluded: “Collaborating with AO and VX3 has been exciting to empower grassroots sport like never before. It was eye opening to read all the applications and see some of the struggles affecting netball clubs at grassroot levels. The competition has allowed us to help ten of these clubs, and we are very grateful to AO and VX3 for helping this to happen.”
