Five-time champions Team Bath lose place in Netball Super League
Team Bath Netball's stars past and present talk to ITV News' Louisa Britton about the club's omission from next season's Super League
Five-time Super League champions Team Bath have lost their place in the Netball Super League as it reduces to eight teams for next season.
According to Team Bath, their proposal for the 2025 season "did not meet all of the expected operating standards" including a "lack of arena provision".
Moving netball into larger arenas is a core part of England Netball’s roadmap for the re-launch of the Netball Super League (NSL 2.0).
A spokesperson from the club said: "This news will be a bitter disappointment to our fans across the south west and understandably has left everyone involved in the franchise shocked and devastated.
"For more than two decades, the University of Bath has been a leader and supporter of high-performance netball with players going on to play for national teams."
Stars like Layla Guscoth and Serena Guthrie are two of dozens of players who have gone on to play for England while representing the Blue and Golds.
In addition to being a founding member of the Super League, Team Bath remains the most successful club in the history of the league, having won the title five times.
Their final home game will be at the Team Bath Arena on Friday 31 May against Strathclyde Sirens.
Team Bath's omission from next season's Super League means the division will not have a team from the South West.
Former England captain, Pamela Cookey, played for Team Bath for eight years and said despite the changes, the relaunched league will help promote the sport.
She said: "On the one hand, I'm so sad and so disappointed because Team Bath was my family.
"That's when I first started to really learn the craft of my game and how I got into the England program through playing Super League.
"And then on the other hand this potentially could be something really good for the game - the fact that we have got more people investing in it.
"The fact the teams have to play in a venue, we don't want to be playing in school sports halls. You want to be playing those big arena games.
"We've seen how great it is when the Roses play or when we've had the season openers or the finals."
The club have said they play a key role in "celebrating strong female role models" and "it has been a privilege to support thousands of young netballers to develop and succeed in the south west."
Birmingham Panthers and Nottingham Forest Netball are the new teams added, with Strathclyde Sirens, Surrey Storm and Severn Stars the other sides to miss out.
Netball's big three - Manchester Thunder, London Pulse and Loughborough Lightning - are included and a rebranded LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons, London Mavericks and Leeds Rhinos are the other three clubs to retain their places in the revamped league.
Stephen Baddeley, director of sport for Team Bath at the University of Bath, said: “The university is deeply disappointed to learn that Team Bath will not be included in NSL 2.0 from season 2025.
"We deeply regret that Team Bath's bid to participate was unsuccessful, despite the tireless efforts and work behind the scenes to meet the requirements for NSL 2.0.
“Team Bath has a rich heritage in the Netball Super League and the University is extremely proud of the incredible achievements of the Team Bath Super League players, both past and present.
"The dedication and determination of all the staff – coaching, support, and volunteers is to be applauded. It is a huge disappointment not only for the players and staff but of course for our loyal Blue and Gold fans, and we thank them sincerely for their steadfast and enthusiastic support over the years."
The club have said they will be announcing details of a special event for fans to celebrate Team Bath Netball shortly.