Leyton (Essex Met)

Our wonderful club was started by a lady called Peggy Faires in the 1950’s. The club was called Leyton Youth Netball club and kept this name for many years. Matches and training took place at Leyton Youth Sports Centre based at the old Essex County Cricket ground on Crawley Road in Leyton.

In 1976 the club coaches were Dorothy Brown and Edie Carter, both well known in the Essex Met netball area and Edie Carter was also involved in University Netball Team selection. They took training sessions held every Thursday from 7.30 -10pm in the Sportshall. We were lucky to have a full size court indoors to train on as many clubs at that time still had to train outdoors. In 1976 the club had three teams and the following years saw expansion of the number of teams that the club could field.

The years following 1976 also saw the club standard rise rapidly with Pat Meadows (nee Cane) becoming the club coach by invitation following the retirement of Dorothy and Edie. This was around 1978-79 that the club started to work their way through the leagues with the first team eventually earning a coveted place in the First Division of the Essex Met League – where we have never left.

Pats arrival coincided with the time when team kit went beyond just having the club skirt! The clubs first ‘team tracksuit’ was a job lot of bright red Marks and Spencer’s jogging bottoms and a white sweatshirt which had the Leyton logo on it.

Fiona Murtagh joined the club as a 14 year old and went on to become England captain. This was obviously a proud time for Pat our coach and for the club overall. Fiona continued to join us for some training sessions during her England years.  Leyton Netball club has always been a brilliant example of embracing multicultural inclusion of BAME and LBG communities, being well represented throughout the decades.

In the 1980 the club had to relocate due to ground work at the Leyton Cricket ground, meaning Tom Hood School now became our home ground for training and matches.

Against much initial protest the Essex Met League voted to have a central venue for all matches at Redbridge Sports centre where there were 12 courts that could be used from 10.00am in the morning through until 4pm, enabling a potential 48 matches to be played in one day. It was the best decision ever made and certainly for umpires and players that also umpired there was no longer the need to dash across the Met area from one match to another. It also meant that the courts were also of a consistent standard, that we could support our other teams, get refreshments in the cafe and First Aid in the form of St John’s Ambulance was on hand.

Pat remained head coach at Leyton for many years till she decided to pass the baton on and in 2010 started to take a back role and Sharon Smith and Jenene Campbell were among the new leadership for the club, both who remain today.

As the league moved venues, so did the clubs venue a few times, following refurbishment at Leyton Youth. We have been at, Rushcroft School, the Score in Leyton, Redbridge Sports Centre before finding home at the copper box after the 2012 Olympics. We had a great home there for 8 long years, when we decided to accept an offer to be the featured club at UEL Sports dock, where we now call home.

The club also has worked to get the Bronze Cap and was part of the initial clubs that was entered into the  Prem league, when it first began, which over the last 11 years, we have been in Prem 1 twice, held tight in Prem 2 for many years but currently reside in Prem 3. Please click here to hear more about our Prem squad.

The club produced some great talent over the years, not only with Fiona Murtagh but Trudy Papifio and Tracy Bartlett, both who represented England Roses as GS’s. Players Sharon Smith, Natalie Francis and Jenene Campbell represented at Super League and England development squads.

Our goal is to continue to be an inclusive club of all backgrounds and abilities, always pushing each player to be their best, teaching skills in teamwork and learning how to ‘do your bit’ for the best outcome of the team.