At the OVO Arena in Wembley on Sunday 21st January, four of the leading netball teams from across the globe faced off in 2 tense matches, part of the 4 day Vitality Netball Nations Cup which concludes in Leeds next weekend. 

Uganda played New Zealand first, a tense match with New Zealand ultimately taking victory 65-60. The audience watched anxiously as the teams drew at quarter time. Uganda led New Zealand up until half time yet New Zealand managed to overtake, ultimately taking a well deserved win.

The afternoon was an event for netball fans and not alike; the arena filled with cheering supporters making up a near sell-out crowd. The breaks between quarters and matches were filled with excitement, drummers and light shows providing audience entertainment. While during the matches, the whole crowd got behind their teams with chanting, flag waving and making noise!

England took on Australia for the much anticipated second match; with all eyes on the Vitality Roses, the England team, in a fast-paced match between the 3rd (England) and 1st (Australia) ranked nations in the world, a close outcome was expected. The game started off evenly, with few turnovers and goals going in rapidly at both ends. England eased into the lead finally in the third quarter and set the stage for a precious victory. However it was Australia who took home the win by two goals, a heartbreaking loss for England in the final quarter. The game concluded Australia 61 - England 59.

In the audience, Mary, a regular club netball umpire commented “This is our first view of the Rules of Netball 2024 which won’t be put into practice at grassroots level until September. It’s good to see our rules evolving to ensure every netball match is fair but fun.”

The new rules for 2024 see more focus on the umpires' decisions for infringements and include changes regarding short passes and less toss ups. There has been some controversy over the latter rule which means that there has to be at least the space of a defender between the players instead of the old version of just a hand. It was great to see them accepted and how they streamlined play on court.

The teams will continue to contest the 2024 Vitality Netball Nations Cup at the final two days of the event which take place at First Direct Arena Leeds next weekend. Will England taste victory? Let’s go Roses, let’s go!