Netball Super League champions AO Thunder are delighted to announce a new education partnership with Cheadle Hulme School (CHS), strengthening opportunities for young netballers and supporting the continued development of the sport across Greater Manchester and the North West.
The partnership brings together one of the UK’s most successful school netball programmes and the reigning Netball Super League champions, combining specialist coaching expertise, high-quality facilities and a shared commitment to developing the next generation of netballers.
The partnership forms part of AO Thunder’s wider education strategy, strengthening relationships with schools and education providers to create more opportunities for young people to participate in and develop through netball across the North West.
Supporting Excellence in School Netball
Cheadle Hulme School has established an outstanding reputation for netball, with considerable success at national level.
In 2026, the school’s U16 team were crowned England Netball National Champions and secured a fourth consecutive Sisters in Sport national title, while the Senior 1st team also celebrated success in the U18 National Plate.
AO Thunder will work alongside the CHS coaching team to support with specialist coaching and athlete development expertise, further enhancing the school’s established netball provision.
The support will complement CHS’s own Elite Netball Programme, which provides talented student-athletes with opportunities to develop their sporting potential alongside their academic education.
Expanding Opportunities Across the North West
The partnership will also support AO Thunder’s continued investment in its own player development programmes and its ambition to establish Player Development Programme (PDP) and Trailblazer provision in every county across the North West.
Working with education partners is central to this approach, providing access to high-quality facilities and creating more opportunities for young netballers to develop their skills closer to home.
Building on its established partnership with Sedbergh School, which supports programme delivery in Cumbria, AO Thunder is proud to utilise the fantastic sporting facilities at Cheadle Hulme School to host its PDP and Trailblazer programmes in Greater Manchester.
The school’s facilities will provide an excellent environment for young netballers to develop their skills, build confidence and benefit from specialist coaching through AO Thunder’s established player development programmes.
Together, these partnerships represent important steps towards AO Thunder’s ambition to build a connected network of development opportunities across each county in the North West, making quality coaching and player development more accessible to young people throughout the region.
A Shared Commitment to Developing Young People
Gill Porter, Commercial Director at AO Thunder, said:
“We’re delighted to welcome Cheadle Hulme School as an education partner and build on the fantastic netball provision they already have in place.
“Education partnerships are an important part of our wider development strategy, allowing us to work with organisations that share our ambition to create more opportunities for young people through netball.
“We want young netballers across the North West to have access to fantastic development opportunities, regardless of where they live. By working with education partners who share our ambitions, we can bring our programmes closer to local communities and create more opportunities for young people to enjoy and progress in the sport.
“With Sedbergh School supporting our provision in Cumbria and Cheadle Hulme School providing a fantastic base in Greater Manchester, we’re making positive progress towards that ambition while building relationships that benefit both the schools and the wider netball community.”
Giles Hegarty, Director of Sport at Cheadle Hulme School, said:
“We are incredibly proud of what our netballers have achieved, but this partnership is really about what comes next. We want talented young athletes to feel that they don’t have to choose between an outstanding education and pursuing their sporting ambitions.
“Working with AO Thunder gives our students access to another level of expertise and creates an exciting opportunity for young players who want to see just how far they can go.”
Leanne Thomas, Head of Netball at Cheadle Hulme School, added:
“Our players are ambitious and we want the environment around them to match that ambition. Success in competition is important, but developing young athletes is about much more than what happens on match day.
“Working alongside AO Thunder will allow us to give players greater access to specialist coaching, performance support and mentoring, while continuing to provide the academic support and wider school experience that is so important at this age.” The partnership marks another important step in AO Thunder’s commitment to working with education providers across the North West, creating opportunities for young people to experience, enjoy and develop through netball.
