Marbella Ladies Tournament (Competitive)

What a weekend in Marbs! The Marbella blues are already hitting us all pretty hard. We played some unbelievable netball, showed serious team spirit, and had the absolute best time doing it.

After making our way down in various convoys, we checked into the stunning “ApartHotel” in Buena Vista. As Fizz was the first to arrive, she set about sorting the shopping and making sure we had the absolute essentials—mainly eggs and gin (though the less said about the bitterol, the better...)

Once everyone was settled, we made the most of the sunshine with plenty of sunbathing, water fights, and laughs by the pool. After that, we focused on some serious carb-loading, ordering a Chinese order so massive that the restaurant owner joked he could close up for the night, before getting rested and focused on getting ready for the torneo the next day.

Saturday morning, we were absolutely buzzing. All the apartments were a hive of activity with people rushing in and out, getting ready. A special shout-out to Fizz for running a breakfast buffet of bacon sarnies and eggs that Surfmar would be proud of!

We love this torneo because it always starts with a massive group warm-up. The vibes were incredibly high, and we kept that energy going with our own pre-match party powered by Lily’s playlist. Plenty of TikToks and dancing followed, but we had only one thing on our minds: playing well, and beating Madrid in El Clásico, of course….

🏆 The Results & Standings

We absolutely smashed the tournament and showed everyone what Netball Barcelona is all about. All those practice sessions and a year of playing "killer" at the end of training really paid off when we needed it most.

Group Stage Winners: Finished 1st in Group A with 26 points and a massive +34 goal difference!

3rd Place Finish: Took home the bronze medals overall 🥉

Long Shot Champions: Smashed the competition by sinking 13 shots in 3 minutes to win the Long Shot trophy! 🏆

Defensive Glory: Jo Moppett won Best Defender of the Torneo 👏

Group A Standings (Top 3):

1. Barcelona 26 pts (+34 GD) ⭐ Group Winners!

2. Madrid Netball Club 26 pts (+22 GD)

3. Poker Face Posse 22 pts (+47 GD)

🎖️ Club Team Awards

Along with the official tournament trophies, we will also be handing out our own special club awards for Marbella, including Captain's Player, Coaches Player of the Torneo and the Team Spirit Award.

We are keeping the winners under wraps for now—all will be revealed at our summer party next weekend! 🤫🍹

📋Match-by-Match (Chronological Order)

Group Stage

1. Barcelona 13 – 4 Marbella: A great opening game where we completely dominated the hosts on their home court.
2. Barcelona 9 – 4 Manilva: A really solid, clean performance to keep the momentum going.
3. Barcelona 6 – 8 Madrid: A tough, close battle in the group-stage El Clásico that just slipped away from us.
4. Barcelona 7 – 6 Poker Face Posse: A tight one, but great composure to secure a vital win.
5. Barcelona 9 – 8 Dundee Divas: Game of the tournament. We were down by 5 goals and looked out of it, but we pulled off an unbelievable last-minute comeback to win 9-8 and take the top spot in the group!
6. Barcelona 20 – 0 BFG: A perfect final group game to seal our dominance—shout-out to the defence for keeping an unbelievable clean sheet!

The Semi Final…

Barcelona 4 – 6 Utrecht: This was a really tough, emotional game. Our coach Abbi went down with an unfortunate injury, forcing us to reshuffle on the court. Nina stepped in as a super sub and played brilliantly, and we fought until the final whistle while all our thoughts were with Abbi.

🤫 Beating Madrid When It Mattered (3rd Place Play-Off El Clásico)

While Madrid took the points in the group stage, we got the ultimate revenge when it actually counted. We faced them again for a high-stakes El Clásico in the 3rd place play-off and completely took them apart, winning 10–2 to secure our podium spot. There is honestly nothing sweeter.

⭐️ Player Shout-Outs

This weekend was so special because every single person showed up with the best attitude, both on and off the court.

• Libby: Took on the captaincy challenge and absolutely smashed it. You kept us calm, controlled the pace of the game, and gave us the perfect level-headed feedback. Best captain we could have asked for!
• Jo Moppett: Fully deserved her award for Best Defender. Described by the judges as an “Amazing defender, that runs, leaps and jumps” THE BEST, we are so lucky to have you!
• Hattie: Partnered up with Jo to form "The Wall" in defence. You two were unbreakable—even in our close losses, opponents only ever got past by one or two points. 🧱 Also, a massive thank you for taking all those lovely photos, though I have honestly never seen anyone love a water pistol as much! 🔫
• Abbi: Co-organised the entire weekend perfectly, and was playing absolutely out of her skin before she got injured—literally shooting in her shades like a GS Robocop! Sending you so much love from the whole team, we can’t wait to see you back on court 🕶️🤖
• Fizz: Our other organisational genius. Everything from the logistics to that legendary breakfast buffet ran so smoothly because of her. On top of that, she managed a clean sheet as our GK against Gibraltar and stepped up as our other driver to support Abbi at the hospital. Absolute superstar! 🚗🏥
• Yasmin: Shooter extraordinary. Amazing in the circle, but also took on the roles of roving reporter and team barista. Those match reports on the gram were instant classics! ☕
• Judith: On court when needed, but also stepping in to drive the "Postman Pat Van" after Abbi got injured was legendary behaviour. Taking over minibus duties despite being one of the last ones standing in Linekers the night before is classic Jude. Total nutter and an inspiration to us all! 🚐
• Ebony (Ebs): Absolutely ruled the mid-court. Your reading of the game and vertical jump were unreal.
• Emily: Total cool head in a crisis. You played so well, even when not feeling 100%, and we also discovered you can steer a wheelchair like an absolute boss. ♿
• Nina: The ultimate squad player. Stepped straight into the shooting circle when we had to reshuffle and shot beautifully. We couldn't imagine the team without you!
• Alice: Honestly, the best we've ever seen you play—you were phenomenal on court. That incredible work rate and energy were matched only by your pure determination to get the entire team to Linekers.
• A huge thank you to our "Barcelona Ultras" our Tiny Bosses Lily, Lydia, and Amelia for taking time out of their holiday to cheer us on from the sidelines. You gave us the exact boost we needed to get over the line!

🍹 Off-Court Fun

The tournament is over, but we won't forget the sunbathing, the water fights by the pool, the massive Chinese dinners, the dancing (including some impromptu pole dancing!), and our brilliant night out at Linekers.

What happens in Marbs stays in Marbs, but you can check out the album on this link here to relive the best moments!

Madrid is apparently already dreading the decider at the ANE Torneo later this year. Bring it on!

Same time next year, ladies? 💜🥉🏆