Mixed netball club in plea for more male players

The club founder's founder Kelly Flook says men were "surprised" by how much they enjoyed the sport

The South West's first mixed netball club has called for more male recruits to join its ranks.

The Devon Dynamites, based in Exeter, was set up in October 2023 and played its first fixture in the England Mixed & Men’s Netball Association's (EMMNA) national league in March 2024.

It was created to offer an opportunity for men to play netball competitively and dispel the myth that netball was a "women only" sport.

Club founder and head coach Kelly Flook said men were "surprised" by how much they enjoy it.

Fast, physical and fun

"I would say come and give it a go because it's not the "girlie" sport that you might have traditionally thought it is," she said.

"It's fast, it's physical, it's really, really fun."

Mixed netball requires a minimum of two men on court at any time, with a maximum of three permitted.

Club captain Dean Iyavoo said the sport was "incredibly technical".

"I think that's where, as men, we're massively behind because we've not been playing this game for half as long as the amount of women that have been playing," he said.

"There's definitely still a misconception that netball's a playground sport.

"I think order for us to improve and to actually be able to play at an elite level we need to be playing side by side."