Birmingham Panthers celebrated a landmark weekend for the club’s pathway programme as our Under-19 side were crowned National Performance League Tournament champions following an outstanding unbeaten campaign in Nottingham.

Competing against the country’s leading pathway programmes, the Panthers produced a series of exceptional performances before defeating London Pulse 36-30 in a thrilling final to lift the trophy.

The journey to the title included an impressive 38-28 victory over defending champions Loughborough Lightning before a commanding 32-23 win against London Mavericks secured a place in Sunday’s final.

Against an experienced London Pulse side, Panthers made the perfect start, opening up an early four-goal advantage before extending the lead to seven at halftime. Although Pulse fought back to close the gap heading into the final quarter, the Panthers showed outstanding composure to see out a memorable 36-30 victory and be crowned champions.

The success capped a remarkable weekend for Birmingham Panthers, with the club’s Under-17 side also producing an excellent tournament, finishing fourth overall after reaching the first-to-fourth classification matches.

Together, the performances underline the continued strength of the Birmingham Panthers pathway and the exciting future being built within the club.

Hayley Myles, Head of Pathway at Birmingham Panthers, said:

“This is a fantastic achievement for everyone involved in our pathway programme. The players have shown incredible commitment, resilience and professionalism throughout the season and fully deserve this success.

“We’re equally proud of our U17s, who competed brilliantly all weekend. These performances are another reminder of the quality of young talent coming through Birmingham Panthers and the environment we’re creating to help players fulfil their potential.”

Congratulations to every player, coach, support staff member, volunteer and family member who played a part in a fantastic weekend for Birmingham Panthers.