Road To Gibraltar - The 2025 Netball World Youth Cup

The 2025 Netball World Youth Cup was held in Gibraltar from the 19th to the 28th of September. This tournament is the pinnacle event for netballers 21 and under. It involved teams from each of world netball’s five regions, and was played in two venues – the Tercentenary Sports Hall and Europa Sports Park. The Opening Ceremony took place on September 19, then from September 20, it was nine straight days of great netball action.

There was no event in 2021, due to Covid. As a result, New Zealand was the defending champion from 2017. There were eight Netball World Youth Cup tournaments staged prior to this, with Australia and New Zealand winning four times each.

And they were the two teams who faced off in the final here. The Australians got off to a shaky start, as New Zealand’s defensive pressure forced errors. Before too long, the kiwis led 9-4. Australia slowly clawed their way back, and a Lily Graham goal on the buzzer saw them snatch the lead 15-14 at the first break.

New Zealand’s game was based around their shooter and captain Amelia Walmsley, and she was proving hard to stop. The second quarter was another great battle, Australia winning it again by one, to lead 27-25 at half time. Then came the pivotal changes.

For the third quarter, Hope White was introduced at wing attack and Australia went to a moving circle of the two Grahams; Kayla and Lily. And this proved to be the winning move. The Australian attack end was so quick and elusive, New Zealand couldn’t find an answer. The Australian defence, through Charlotte Sexton, also started to get some crucial wins against Walmsley.

The third quarter was 20-9 in Australia’s favour, and it was almost game over at that point. The Aussies claimed gold, with a score of 63-48 after winning all four quarters, but it was that third quarter that did the damage. Lily Graham was outstanding at both goal attack and goal shooter, and her form throughout led to her deservedly being adjudged Player of the Tournament.

Despite the final defeat, New Zealand had a fine tournament and came away with the silver medal. Meanwhile, England claimed the bronze medal. They had lost a thrilling semi-final against the kiwis by just two goals, but were able to regroup for the bronze medal game against South Africa. After an incredibly scrappy start by both teams, the injection of Hannah Gibson at goal attack proved the spark for England, as they went on to win 55-35.

For South Africa, fourth place was their best ever finish at a Netball World Youth Cup. Jamaica took fifth place, while Scotland equalled their best placing with sixth. Malawi and the Cook Islands rounded out the top eight.

While overall, this was a great event, it can’t be overlooked that unfortunately, only 18 of the 20 teams which qualified, ended up taking part. Both Sri Lanka and Zambia had troubles getting visas sorted in time. Their first two matches were forfeited, and then they were officially ruled out of the tournament ahead of day three. This led to some scheduling issues, but eventually, things got back on track, and the tournament ended in fine style in front of enthusiastic fans.

Netball Scoop would like to pay our respects to Technical Official Carol Alexander, who sadly and unexpectedly passed away during the tournament. For decades Carol had dedicated her time and expertise to all levels of the sport, and is a big loss to the netball community and particularly her family, Bill and Sarah.

Here is Jenny Sinclair’s article on the Australian team and coach Cathy Fellows.

The winning Australian team. Image: World Netball / Netball world Youth Cup

HOW TO WATCH

Netball fans around the globe, were able to stream every match of the tournament live and on demand. All matches were covered on Netball Pass, while the Netball World Cup YouTube channel covered games from the first six days. All games are free to access still if you want to catch up.

UMPIRES

Justin Barnes, Nathan Begley, Tamara Buriani-Gennai, Louise Cole, Rhian Edwards, Myron Elkington, Tania Fink. Moeth Gaymes, Leonard Masao, Sasha McLeod, Cory Nicholls, Lizzie Saywell, Georgina Sulley-Beales, Makeba Clarke, Tim Marshall, Gillian Leslie, Zak Middleton, Theophilus Moletsane, Tharina Opperman, Jessica Teng, Sophia Wilson, Nadine Pardo-Zammit

Final umpires; Lizzie Saunby, Sophia Wilson (res), and Louise Cole with WN President Liz Nicholl. Image: World Netball / Netball world Youth Cup

PHASE 1 POOLS

POOL A

POOL B

POOL C

POOL D

PHASE 1 RESULTS

DAY 1 – SEP 20

Match 1 – Pool A – Cook Islands 74 def Gibraltar 29
(21-8, 34-19, 60-22, 74-29)

Match 2 – Pool A – New Zealand def Zambia on forfeit

Match 3 – Pool B – Australia 79 def Northern Ireland 15
(24-2, 42-7, 64-11, 79-15)

Match 4 – Pool B – Scotland 51 def Samoa 49
(15-8, 30-23, 39-37, 51-49)

Match 5 – Pool C – England def Sri Lanka on forfeit

Match 6 – Pool C – Wales 58 def Tonga 40
(14-9, 30-19, 41-33, 58-40)

Match 7 – Pool D – South Africa 102 def Barbados 27
(25-7, 54-15, 77-21, 102-27)

Match 8 – Pool D – Fiji 53 def Trinidad & Tobago 40
(14-8, 26-19, 42-29, 53-40)

Byes: Malaysia, Singapore, Jamaica, Malawi

Day 1 Images: World Netball / Netball World Youth Cup

DAY 2 – SEP 21

Match 9 – Pool C – Jamaica 66 def Tonga 43
(19-9, 36-17, 52-30, 66-43)

Match 10 – Pool C – Wales def Sri Lanka on forfeit

Match 11 – Pool A – Malaysia 59 def Gibraltar 28
(17-6, 30-13, 44-38, 59-28)

Match 12 – Pool A – New Zealand 74 def Cook Islands 47
(20-9, 38-23, 53-36, 74-47)

Match 13 – Pool D – Malawi 65 def Trinidad & Tobago 29
(22-8, 31-17, 50-25, 65-29)

Match 14 – Pool D – Fiji 66 def Barbados 34
(19-9, 34-21, 52-28, 66-34)

Match 15 – Pool B – Scotland 64 def Northern Ireland 21
(15-6, 32-12, 46-17, 64-21)

Match 16 – Pool B – Australia 92 def Singapore 25
(23-7, 46-12, 70-18, 92-25)

Byes: Samoa, England, South Africa

Day 2 Images: World Netball / Netball World Youth Cup

UPDATE AFTER DAY 2

Announcement from World Netball:

Due to unresolved matters surrounding the participation of Sri Lanka and Zambia in the Netball World Youth Cup 2025, World Netball has withdrawn both teams for the remainder of the competition. The remaining stage one pool games of the competition, where Sri Lanka and Zambia were due to play, will be treated as forfeited fixtures and their opposition awarded two points for the win in line with competition regulations. An updated schedule will be shared in due course.

DAY 3 – SEP 22

Match 17 – Pool D – Malawi 52 def Fiji 51
(15-11, 25-26, 36-41, 52-51)

Match 18 – Pool D – South Africa 105 def Trinidad & Tobago 15
(26-3, 50-7, 77-7, 105-15)

Match 19 – Pool B – Samoa 62 def Singapore 41
(14-8, 32-16, 47-29, 62-41)

Match 20 – Pool B – Australia 69 def Scotland 42
(21-10, 39-24, 56-30, 69-42)

Match 21 – Pool A – Gibraltar def Zambia on forfeit

Match 22 – Pool A – Cook Islands 64 def Malaysia 44
(18-8, 36-19, 49-36, 64-44)

Match 23 – Pool C – England 65 def Wales 28
(15-9, 28-15, 49-19, 65-28)

Match 24 – Pool C – Jamaica def Sri Lanka on forfeit

Byes: New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Tonga, Barbados

Day 3 Images: World Netball / Netball World Youth Cup

DAY 4 – SEP 23

Match 25 – Pool B – Australia 65 def Samoa 36
(19-10, 34-20, 46-32, 65-36)

Match 26 – Pool B – Singapore 50 def Northern Ireland 32
(14-6, 26-15, 35-25, 50-32)

Match 27 – Pool C – Jamaica 61 def Wales 43
(18-15, 29-25, 46-35, 61-43)

Match 28 – Pool C – England 72 def Tonga 25
(24-5, 40-12, 56-20, 72-25)

Match 29 – Pool D – Trinidad & Tobago 58 def Barbados 33
(11-11, 25-19, 41-30, 58-33)

Match 30 – Pool D – South Africa def Malawi
(16-9, 29-19, 44-27, 64-33)

Match 31 – Pool A – New Zealand v Malaysia
(20-7, 39-11, 59-16, 80-20)

Match 32 – Pool A – Cook Islands def Zambia on forfeit

Byes: Gibraltar, Scotland, Fiji

Day 4 Images: World Netball / Netball World Youth Cup

DAY 5 – SEP 24

Match 33 – Pool B – Scotland 60 def Singapore 35
(13-12, 26-20, 44-28, 60-35)

Match 34 – Pool B – Samoa 69 def Northern Ireland 29
(19-5, 39-14, 55-24, 69-29)

Match 35 – Pool C – Tonga def Sri Lanka on forfeit

Match 36 – Pool C – England 64 def Jamaica 33
(18-9, 36-17, 46-27, 64-35)

Match 37 – Pool A – New Zealand 95 def Gibraltar 8
(22-0, 42-1, 69-4, 95-8)

Match 38 – Pool A – Malaysia def Zambia on forfeit

Match 39 – Pool D – South Africa 85 def Fiji 35
(23-5, 44-12, 67-22, 85-35)

Match 40 – Pool D – Malawi 70 def Barbados 23
(16-7, 35-15, 52-17, 70-23)

Byes: Cook Islands, Australia, Wales, Trinidad & Tobago

Day 5 Images: World Netball / Netball World Youth Cup

POOL LADDERS

POOL A
1 – New Zealand – 8 pts
2 – Cook Islands – 6 pts
3 – Malaysia – 4 pts
4 – Gibraltar – 2 pts
5 – Zambia – 0 pts*

POOL B
1 – Australia – 8 pts
2 – Scotland – 6 pts
3 – Samoa – 4 pts
4 – Singapore – 2 pts
5 – Northern Ireland – 0 pts

POOL C
1 – England – 8 pts
2 – Jamaica – 6 pts
3 – Wales – 4 pts
4 – Tonga – 2 pts
5 – Sri Lanka – 0 pts*

POOL D
1 – South Africa – 8 pts
2 – Malawi – 6 pts
3 – Fiji – 4 pts
4 – Trinidad & Tobago – 2 pts
5 – Barbados – 0 pts

*Forfeited all their matches.

PHASE 2 RESULTS

After day 5, the teams were split into three groups. The top 2 teams in each pool played off for positions 1-8, the 3rd and 4th teams in each pool played for positions 9-16, while the 5th teams in Pools B & D, played off for positions 17 & 18.

DAY 6 – SEP 25

Match 41 – 1-8 QUARTER FINAL – ENGLAND 64 def SCOTLAND 33
(16-8, 35-14, 48-22, 64-33)

Match 42 – 9-16 Quarter Final – Malaysia 52 def Trinidad & Tobago 40
(15-10, 26-20, 37-30, 52-40)

Match 43 – 1-8 QUARTER FINAL – NEW ZEALAND 67 def MALAWI 34
(17-8, 31-20, 48-28, 67-34)

Match 44 – 9-16 Quarter Final – Wales 57 def Singapore 39
(13-8, 31-14, 46-25, 57-39)

Match 45 – 1-8 QUARTER FINAL – AUSTRALIA 85 def JAMAICA 33
(21-9, 40-15, 64-23, 85-33)

Match 46 – 9-16 Quarter Final – Fiji 61 def Gibraltar 31
(17-5, 35-13, 48-23, 61-31)

Match 47 – 1-8 QUARTER FINAL – SOUTH AFRICA 79 def COOK ISLANDS 45
(18-13, 38-21, 55-35, 79-45)

Match 48 – 9-16 Quarter Final – Samoa 62 def Tonga 46
(16-11, 28-23, 47-35, 62-46)

Day 6 Images: World Netball / Netball World Youth Cup

DAY 7 – SEP 26

Match 49 – 13-16 Semi Final – Tonga 71 def Gibraltar 36
(16-9, 31-20, 50-33, 71-36)

Match 50 – 13-16 Semi Final – Singapore 67 def Trinidad & Tobago 58 (in extra time)
(14-13, 30-27, 44-39, 52-52 / 67-58)

Match 51 – 5-8 Semi final – Jamaica 57 def Cook Islands 47
(15-15, 25-25, 39-37, 57-47)

Match 52 – 5-8 Semi final – Scotland 46 def Malawi 42
(15-9, 24-20, 30-31, 46-42)

Match 53 – 1-4 SEMI FINAL – NEW ZEALAND 51 v ENGLAND 49
(12-10, 24-20, 39-34, 51-49)

Match 54 – 9-12 Semi Final – Wales 67 def Malaysia 39
(16-8, 33-16, 48-26, 67-39)

Match 55 – 1-4 SEMI FINAL – AUSTRALIA 67 def SOUTH AFRICA 36
(19-9, 34-17, 48-27, 67-36)

Match 56 – 9-12 Semi Final – Samoa 71 def Fiji 53
(17-15, 35-24, 54-41, 71-53)

Day 7 Images: World Netball / Netball World Youth Cup

PLAYOFFS

DAY 8 – SEP 27

Match 57 – 17 v 18 Playoff – Northern Ireland 49 def Barbados 29
(17-8, 28-17, 35-21, 49-29)

Match 58 – 15 v 16 Playoff – Trinidad & Tobago 45 def Gibraltar 34
(12-9, 22-18, 36-25, 45-34)

Match 59– 13 v 14 Playoff – Tonga 50 def Singapore 47
(15-11, 29-25, 41-38, 50-47)

Match 60 – 11 v 12 Playoff – Fiji 56 def Malaysia 48
(14-11, 27-25, 42-35, 56-48)

Match 61 – 9 v 10 Playoff – Samoa 67 def Wales 53
(14-15, 31-26, 48-40, 67-53)

Day 8 Images: World Netball / Netball World Youth Cup

DAY 9 – SEP 28

Match 62 – 7 v 8 Playoff – Malawi 61 def Cook Islands 54
(15-12, 28-28, 47-39, 61-54)

Match 63 – 5 v 6 Playoff – Jamaica 53 def Scotland 44
(14-13, 24-23, 41-33, 53-44)

Match 64 – 3 v 4 BRONZE MEDAL PLAYOFF – ENGLAND 55 def SOUTH AFRICA 35
(9-8, 25-15, 38-25, 55-35)

Match 65 – 1 v 2 GOLD MEDAL FINAL – AUSTRALIA 63 def NEW ZEALAND 48
(15-14, 27-25, 47-34, 63-48)

Day 9 Images: World Netball / Netball World Youth Cup

PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT

Lily Graham (Australia)

Lily Graham. Images: World Netball / Netball World Youth Cup

FINAL PLACINGS

1 – AUSTRALIA
2 – NEW ZEALAND
3 – ENGLAND
4 – South Africa
5 – Jamaica
6 – Scotland
7 – Malawi
8 – Cook Islands
9 – Samoa
10 – Wales
11 – Fiji
12 – Malaysia
13 – Tonga
14 – Singapore
15 – Trinidad & Tobago
16 – Gibraltar
17 – Northern Ireland
18 – Barbados

Medal Presentation. Images: World Netball / Netball World Youth Cup

HONOUR ROLL

1988 – Canberra
1 AUSTRALIA, 2 England, 3 New Zealand

1992 – Suva
1 NEW ZEALAND, 2 Australia, 3 Cook Islands

1996 – Toronto
1 AUSTRALIA, 2 New Zealand, 3 England

2000 – Cardiff
1 AUSTRALIA, 2 Jamaica, 3 New Zealand

2005 – Fort Lauderdale
1 NEW ZEALAND, 2 England, 3 Australia

2009 – Rarotonga
1 AUSTRALIA, 2 New Zealand, 3 Jamaica

2013 – Glasgow
1 NEW ZEALAND, 2 Australia, 3 Jamaica

2017 – Gaborone
1 NEW ZEALAND, 2 Australia, 3 England

2025 – Gibraltar
1 AUSTRALIA, 2 New Zealand, 3 England

Gold, Silver & Bronze. Images: World Netball / Netball World Youth Cup