England Thorns: The men’s netball team ready to face Australia Men live on Sky Sports | Netball News

England Thorns, the national men’s netball team, will be live on Sky Sports Mix on Sunday; coverage of their match against Australia’s Men starts at 5.45am; Jess Thirlby’s women’s team follow straight after against the Australian Diamonds after a narrow 55-54 loss in the first Test

England Thorns are live on Sky Sports on Sunday morning (Image credit: England Men’s and Mixed Netball Association)

England Thorns, the national men’s netball team, are set for a historic event on Sunday as they take on Australia Men, live on Sky Sports.

The Thorns will take to court in Sydney ahead of the women’s team, England’s Vitality Roses. The side were formed in March this year following a highly competitive trial featuring the best men’s netballers in the country.

The Thorns played a vital part in Team England’s preparation for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. They joined Jess Thirlby’s side during their pre-Games training camp and contested a series of matches.

In recent years, men’s netball in England has been going from strength to strength and the athletes themselves bring a whole new dimension to the sport, as they will showcase on Sunday morning.

Previously, Sky Sports spent time with the Knights Men’s Netball team when they took part in a pre-season Superleague tournament at Team Bath Arena.

“The common thing that teams who we play against say about us, is that it is a different style of netball. An absolutely different style,” Knights founder Lewis Keeling said.

“They say that normal netball for them is very structured. They know where people are going to run and they know when people are going to pass.

“For us, because we haven’t had coaching from an early age, and with most of us coming from different sporting backgrounds like basketball, rugby, rowing, the whole shebang, our style makes teams think.

“It puts them outside of their comfort zone and shakes up their training rather than keeping the same movements.”

Keeling is the England Men’s and Mixed Netball Association (EMMNA) men’s development officer and in recent years, England’s Superleague sides have regularly looked to men’s teams to test them during pre-season and training.

This tour to the Southern Hemisphere for England Thorns marks another step in the sport’s development on the men’s side. In Australia, young boys are more likely to play netball at school or socially than their counterparts in England.

If you go to social leagues in London in particular, the mixed league always has a wealth of talented men who gained their skills back home in Australia and New Zealand. England’s Thorns will take on teams from both countries during their Southern Hemisphere tour.

The England Men’s and Mixed Netball Association (EMMNA) is now being pushed to new heights and founder Ryan Allan couldn’t be more delighted.

“What an incredible opportunity for the England Thorns to showcase men’s netball internationally,” Allan said. “I am extremely proud that England will be represented at such a historic event.”

Allan represented England as head coach of the England Mixed team at the 2019 Indoor Netball World Cup. He also played at the 2012 Indoor Netball World Cup for the England men’s team.

He was a founding member of Knights Men’s Netball before leaving to co-found the London Giants.

England Netball CEO Fran Connolly has noted the importance of taking such a huge step forwards for the men’s game.

“It’s great to see the men’s game continue to grow on the world stage,” she said.

“This is only proof of the huge strides being taken by EMMNA and the Thorns in such a short period of time it is simply another key milestone in their journey and one to be hugely celebrated.”

England Netball partnered with EMMNA in December 2021 and EMMNA’s overarching mission is to develop, grow and promote men’s and mixed netball for all ages.

If you’ve never seen men’s netball before be prepared to be taken aback by the skill levels, pace of the game and tactics on display on Sunday morning.

As Keeling mentioned, the men’s style makes opponents think twice and encompasses athletes from all backgrounds, thriving and excelling on court.

England’s women will then play their must-win match against the Australian Diamonds after narrowly losing the first Test on Wednesday 55-54 after Donnell Wallam’s stunning lay-up shot in the final seconds of the match.