BIRMINGHAM Panthers’ head coach says the arrival of top level netball can only raise the profile of the city.
The newly-formed Panthers are part of the Netball Super League which has the boost of Sky TV coverage during 2025.
Head Coach Jo Trip brings her team to Birmingham on Friday night when Panthers host Manchester Thunder at the BP Pulse Live (Resorts World) – you can buy tickets HERE.
Panthers made a losing start to their NSL campaign on Friday night when they went down 71-63 at Leeds Rhinos.
But Trip is looking at the bigger picture and wants to establish netball in Birmingham and build a fan base.
The Kiwi-born coach told M6 Sport: “I think it’s going to mean a lot. Birmingham has been undiscovered for a very long time, with no NSL team based there or in the West Midlands.
“For the area itself, it’s just going to boost the sport, in schools, at clubs as well as within Birmingham and the surrounding area.
“Just having a team that players can aspire to and be inspired by, is just going to be massive away from what the TV will cover.
“We are absolutely going to take the Panthers out into the community.
“We’ve already been doing bits and pieces for that and have put together a really solid community plan to get more people participating in the sport, both girls and boys, mums and dads – but Birmingham particularly.
“The schools programme we’re building is going to lay a really solid foundation that we can build more stronger athletes coming through and put netball back on the map in Birmingham.
“We’ll have a pathway, similar to how it works in New Zealand.”
The team has its roots in the Seven Stars squad that was based in Worcester.
Trip led Severn Stars to a first top-four finish in only her second season as head coach after taking over in 2023.
She added: “I was there a coach and player for two seasons, and we really brought people along for a journey.
“That’s exactly the same aim that Birmingham Panthers have moving forward – to take it to a whole new level and new heights.”
Three of their home games this year will be played in Worcester – using different Midlands cities for their debut season.
Trip added: “We’re playing our home games at a mixture of venues. We’re kind of on the road this season.
“So we’ve got some games at the Utility and burden and very central and a very big arena that we want to absolutely pack out. We’re also in Coventry at the Sky Dome, and in Worcester, at the Worcester Arena.
“We’re trying to capture all our fans from around – we are Birmingham Panthers, but we also need to build netball in the West Midlands and we cover, I think, six or seven counties.
“So we’re just making sure that we’re providing those opportunities to everyone in our region.
“This is where we want netball to be, in those big arenas. We want a lot of bums on seats and with the crowd enjoying the thrilling ride that netball is.”
Trip says the high profile of the teams – with Leeds Rhinos and Nottingham Forest also represented, will be reflected in tne competition.
She added: “You’ve got eight teams located in the heart of cities, which is amazing and can really drive performance kind of in those places.
“I think it’ll get bigger and bigger across the years. But I think it was really important to make sure that netball was professionalising.
“There are other countries that do it, really well and have full time athletes. We’re not quite there yet, but we’re building towards that.”
In November, Panthers appointed ex-Jamaica head coach Connie Francis as Director of Netball.
Francis brings a wealth of experience and an impressive track record in international netball – and she will lead the Panthers’ performance strategy alongside the Head Coach.
Trip said: “It’s just so exciting to see that now happening in England, with the girls getting recognised as the athletes they are.
“And honestly, it blows my mind how good these players are. They’ve been working full time, so to release those full-time work pressures and then increase their training is exciting.”
