NETBALL – Bahrain netball is set for a series of major competitions at the national, regional, and continental levels in its highly anticipated 2025-26 season.
The kingdom’s top netball clubs will be back in action in the newly rebranded Bahrain Netball Champions League (BNCL), which holds its official draw for its upcoming campaign this Saturday, live on Instagram.
The kingdom’s netball national team, nicknamed the Bahrain Pearls, are also set to compete in a number of high-level tournaments across the Gulf and Asia.
The Pearls will first be taking to the court in the newly launched Gulf Premier Netball League, which gets underway later this month.
They will then fly the Bahrain flag in next year’s Inter-Gulf Netball Championship, which is to be hosted by the kingdom in April 2026, as well as in the next edition of the highly competitive Asian Netball Championships, which will be held in August next year in Hong Kong.
The BNCL is the premier national competition, and it will be held for the first time in its new format.
Prior to its start, a Think Pink Netball Tournament will be held on October 10 as the kick-off event for the 2025-26 campaign.
It will take place at the British Club in Adliya, and it will help raise funds that will be donated to Bahrain Breast Cancer Society.
The teams that will be taking part this season will be representing Bahrain Rugby Football Club, The British Club, Dilmun Club, Top Shots, and Nadeen Netball Academy, which is a brand-new squad that will be part of the league’s line-up for the first time.
The BNCL will feature two parts to its 2025-26 calendar.
The first begins later this month and continues until December. The participating teams will be divided into four pools to play for the cup, bowl, shield and plate.
The second part of the league then begins in January of next year. It will split the clubs into two tiers – the Superleague and the Bahrain Netball League (BNL).
The Superleague will boast the leading teams from each club, while the BNL will consist of the remaining sides.
“I am delighted that our new league structure for the start of the season is looking both exciting and promising,” Bahrain Netball director Khulood Sabah told the GDN.
“We have seen a wonderful growth in numbers this year, which is a true reflection of how netball is continuing to gain popularity across the kingdom. This expansion not only strengthens our league but also highlights the passion and commitment of our players, coaches, and supporters."
“I look forward to an engaging and competitive season ahead.”
Meanwhile, the all-new Gulf Premier Netball League will be bringing together some of the top outfits from across the region.
There are six teams in all coming from Bahrain, the UAE, and Qatar, including the Pearls, Evolution Sports Qatar, the Dubai Hurricanes A and B squads, the Dubai Sharks, and Capital Netball from Abu Dhabi.
The Pearls open their tournament bid with two games in Abu Dhabi on October 11 against the Sharks and Capital Netball.
Aside from these major competitions, Bahrain’s vibrant netball community will also be holding a number of local tournaments.
Among these are a Tinsel Tournament for mixed teams on December 6, and a National Day Tournament also for mixed teams on December 9, to name a few.
Furthermore, the Bahrain junior netball team will be playing in their inter-gulf competition in the first quarter of next year.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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