Meet Neve Wright, the young London Mavericks netball star on the rise with England
Local netball player Neve Wright is reaching new heights in her young career.
She recently enjoyed success with the England U17 side, as they won the U17 Europe Netball Division 1 trophy.
The St Bart’s pupil won the same competition last year, when she broke into the squad despite being a year younger than most of her teammates.
Playing in higher age groups has been a theme throughout Wright’s young career.
“I started netball at school around age nine or ten,” Wright reflected.
“I was just playing it because I enjoyed it.
“I joined a club outside of school when I was eleven, because I wanted to go a bit further with it.
“I joined my first franchise, Bath, when I was fourteen.”
Netball in Britain is a sport which has undergone rapid change and professionalisation in recent years.
Wright’s journey so far has coincided with this, taking her on a journey from Team Bath, to the Surrey Storm and now the London Mavericks.
Spells in the youth setups of all three sides have provided invaluable experience.
“I was playing in the Hampshire Academy, where you usually get scouted for franchises, and I ended up with Bath,” she explained.
“A rule change when I was fifteen meant I was fed into the Surrey Storm system instead.
“I played in the U15s there, but quickly ended up playing for their U17s!
“I did both in parallel for a while. That was probably when I got onto England’s radar.
“I soon played a full season up in the U19s too.
“I’ve been playing up my entire life, I kind of forgot my own age at one point!”
With Wright’s obvious talent, it was clear that an England tryout for the young defender wouldn't be far away.
“I first got an email telling me that I’d been scouted and inviting me for a trial,” she said.
“It came at five in the morning. My parents came and woke me up and I just started crying!
“The trial was three days long, with fitness testing, teambuilding and some matches.
“You’re in accommodation with all the other trialists, cooking your own food, it’s very independent.
“I remember refreshing my email all day waiting for the result.
“I got called up a year young and I was just mindblown. I was really proud of that.”
Wright travelled with the squad to the 2024 edition of the U17 Europe Netball Division 1, held in Gibraltar.
The side went unbeaten, as Wright made her England debut with dad watching on from the stands.
“We did two-day camps every month, fully paid for,” she explained.
“Netball Europe was an amazing experience, we won every match.
“I won my first international cap, which is still the lockscreen on my phone!”
Heading into this year’s tournament, Wright was something of an established figure, helping to guide new members of the squad as England came out champions once again.
“I knew what to expect,” she reflected.
“This year it was in Belfast and I earned my eighth cap for England. I really enjoyed it.
“I wasn’t used to being a senior member of the team.
“You can be a bit more of a leader and help other people out. I really enjoy that.”
Wright wants to be a professional netball player, and stands a good chance of doing so at London Mavericks, potentially now just one step away from the top of the pyramid.
“Surrey Storm was shut down as part of ‘NSL 2.0’,” Wright explained.
“It was an amazing step for netball, but bittersweet for me.
“I liked the look of London Mavericks, they have a really good reputation.
“They knew what I was about and I actually didn’t have to trial for them.
“I did a season with the U19s last season, and now we’re in the NXT Gen League, which is essentially the U23s.
“That’s the feeder into the Netball Super League.
“I want to be a full-time netball player.
“I want to play sport for a living.”
