Frequently asked questions

Our programmes are aimed at athletes who are at all stages of their netball journeys; from elite athletes targeting our Academy age group squads to young club and school players wanting to improve their skills or get ready for trials.

U11s : Players in Years 5 & 6 in academic year 2025/2026

Trial Date: 27th Jul ’25

U13s : Players in Years 7 & 8 in academic year 2025/2026

Trial Date: 26th Jul ’25

U15s : Players in Years 9 & 10 in academic year 2025/2026

Trial Date: 19th Jul ’25

U18s : Players in Years 11 to 13 in academic year 2025/2026

Trial Date: 12/13th Jul ’25

PDP/Academy: Trials in September – Specific dates will be released in August.

We encourage all athletes to make themselves available for Futures trials in July, however we appreciate there are circumstances where this will not be possible.

When bookings go live we will have the option for a ‘late trial’ booking. This will involve attending a training session in September to trial for the program. Please note this will be subject to places remaining in the programs following initial trials and we therefore cannot guarantee your first choice training location.

All our Futures Programmes are designed to develop athlete’s skills, enhance game sense and progress court craft.  At U11 & U13, these sessions focus on technical development; at U15 & U18, our programme mirrors our PDP and Academy sessions.  We look to these programmes to find talented players who will feed into our future Academy squads.  These programmes sit outside of the England Netball Player Pathway.

Our Player Development Programmes (PDP’s) are part of the England Netball Pathway, and are the next step on athlete’s journeys towards our Academies.  Players in these programmes will work on consolidating individual skills, developing positional strengths and working in a high intensity environment with other skilled athletes.

Yes, there can be.  If players move, and a gap is created, we will always look to fill from our own programmes, particularly where emerging talent has been identified.  Last year, more than 10 Futures athletes progressed into both PDP and Academy Squads.

All athletes (except those in an NPL Academy or Franchise PDP in 2024/25) will be required to attend the Futures trials in July. Selectors at these trials will be inviting athletes they identify as having the potential to succeed in our pathway trials to a second round of trials in September.

Should these identified athletes not be successful at the Pathway trials in September, they will then be offered a space in the Futures program.

London Mavericks Futures has the following age groups: U11, U13, U15, U18.

London Mavericks PDP squads : U19, U21.

London Mavericks Academy squads: U17, U19, U23. (Plus U15 – January start)

Your County PDP programmes form part of the England Netball Pathway, sitting in between our Futures Programmes and our PDP programmes.  Both offer structured athlete development programmes in a competitive environment, delivered between October and April.  If you are an athlete targeting entering our U15 Academy programme later this year, you can only be considered to trial if you are in a Franchise Academy programme, a Franchise PDP programme or a County PDP programme.

The Futures program is a 20-week training program from September to March. Athletes will have a weekly 1.5 hour technical netball session with experienced London Mavericks Coaches, as well as matchplay days where the Futures squads compete against one another.

As part of the program all athletes will also receive 1 x Adult, and 1 x Junior ticket to a London Mavericks 2026 Superleague match.

In line with England Netball regulations: to be eligible for our U15 Acadmey trials in January you will require a nomination from a County PDP coach (or London Mavericks U17 NPL/U19 PDP coach). Being in the Futures program does not make you eligible for our U15 trials. Therefore we recommend athletes aiming to trial to be within the County setup, they may also chose to do a Futures squad in addition.

The Prepare to Trial program aims to equip athletes to perform to their potential at trials.

For U11, U13 and U15s this is a one month program in June – consisting of 1 hour on court training sessions and 30 minute off-court educational sessions each week.

For U18s this is a single day event covering the same themes, due to it being exam season for many athletes.

No the prepare to trial program is not a pre-requisite for attending trials. It is an optional course for athletes wanting to develop their tactical, technical and physical capabilities ahead of the trials.

At London Mavericks we do not want cost to be a barrier to participation. We have a limited number of hardship spaces for those who may need financial support. If this applies to you, please contact us via email to: futures@londonmavericks.co.uk

PDP and NPL trials will be held in September. This is bookable here. Once you book a performance trial, you will receive a form to enter your positional preferences and playing history – to dictate which trial date you will be invited to.

Please note you must meet the performance criteria – all those not previously within a PDP or NPL squad will need to attend our Futures U18 trials in July.

Yes.  However, experience has shown us that players trialling for multiple franchises are often fatigued, pick up injuries and struggle with their loading as clubs and school heads back to training  in September.

We advise players to think carefully about what is actually practical for them and their families, in terms of attending training and committing to a programme before signing up for trials.