On Saturday, 31st January, London Mavericks return to live netball for the first time since June last year. After rewriting the history books during the 2025 Netball Super League season, Mavericks reached the playoffs for the first time in nine years in their debut rebrand era. The return of the crowd sees the side go head-to-head with LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons in a pre-season fixture, as preparations continue for the opening NSL game just around the corner.
London Mavericks vs LexisNexis Dragons
Saturday 31st January
FCP: 14:00
Hertfordshire Sports Village
Fixtures against Cardiff Dragons in 2025 delivered nothing but entertainment and edge-of-the-seat action. The away game in Cardiff set the tone for the season, with Mavericks coming out on top in a back-and-forth opening contest.
The return fixture at the home of the Mavericks, Herts Sports Village, proved to be one of the standout moments of the campaign. Locked level after 60 minutes, the Round 8 clash became the league’s first game to go to extra time that season. A dominant extra-time performance from the London side saw Mavericks claim a vital three points, pushing them closer to a top-four finish.
With last season’s encounters against Cardiff Dragons firmly marked as must-watch fixtures, and Mavericks revealing their new 2026 NSL look, fans won’t want to miss this pre-season action.
Throughout the off-season. London Mavericks have continued to work hard behind the scenes in what has been intense preparations for the upcoming season. With the Netball Super Cup (21st February) and our first home game of the season against Nottingham Forest (28th February) fast approaching, Tamsin Greenway’s side have been focused, dedicated and eager to develop as a squad.
That development has gone beyond what happens on court, with the club continuing to raise standards across all areas of the programme. Having been part of the London Mavericks set-up since 2017, Razia Quashie reflects on how the environment at London Mavericks has evolved over time:
“It’s evolved greatly. I think when we came in, we weren’t professionals. We weren’t training four days a week, we were training on Tuesday and a Thursday night. So I think to have those professional standards as a team, to have the full-time staff such as physio, S&C behind us, it’s created better athletes and puts better performances out on court.”
The change in environment has also allowed new combinations to flourish, with pre-season providing valuable time for players to build connections and develop understanding on court. In attack, those relationships are already beginning to take shape, with excitement growing around the partnerships forming in the shooting circle.
Speaking about the opportunity to link up again with George Inger, Emma Thacker shared her enthusiasm for the connection developing between the pair and the impact their off-court relationship has on performance:
“Yeah, so excited. We managed to get on court and connect a bit at the end of last year. I think we’ve still got so much to give and so much to learn about each other’s games, especially in that shooting circle, but yeah, George is such a rock and an amazing person to be alongside. We get on so well off the court as well, which I think really helps. We’ve obviously been away from the court for a little bit, so to see her growth in this pre-season period has been amazing. Super excited to connect with her and can’t wait to get on court together again.”
With pre-season preparations complete, the wait is finally over. London Mavericks return to court this weekend as momentum builds towards what promises to be an exciting 2026 season. With new connections forming and standards higher than ever, this is the first chance to see the squad in action.
If you haven’t secured your pre-season ticket yet, be sure to click the link below and join us courtside.