By Milly McEvoy, Sportsbeat
Izzi Phillips is out to show that being named Netball Super League Young Player of the Season in 2024 was just the start.
The 19-year-old has crossed the capital for the 2025 season, joining London Mavericks from London Pulse and has already established herself in Mavericks' starting VII at wing defence.
It is a change of position as well as club, with Phillips impressing at centre for Pulse last term, but the teenager has no issues adapting to what is thrown her way.
“I am so grateful to Pulse for giving me my debut,” she said. “I really enjoyed playing in that season and having the impact and getting the reward of Young Player of the Season was great and I hope to push on.
"I’m really excited looking forward to see what else I can do because for me I felt like that was just the start. I’m ready to push forward and see where I can get to with this new Mavs team.
“There isn’t necessarily pressure, but we are all sportspeople and I am competitive. I have got that accolade last year, what more can I push on to do?
“I really want to show why I was there and got rewarded with that; now I really want to push on to see what I can go to.”
Phillips’ arrival into the Super League came off the back of a bronze-medal performance for Team England at the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2023.
She then helped London Pulse to a semi-final berth last season and has designs of doing the same with Mavericks this time around.
To do that, she is working on developing herself as a midcourter and is delighted to call on an impressive coaching triumvirate at Mavericks with Camilla Buchanan, Tamsin Greenway and Mikki Austin all part of the set-up.
She added: “I’ve already learnt so much about myself, particularly some bad habits I need to work out!
“They each offer so many different things in terms of defensive background, attacking background, and getting knowledge from them, getting to pick their brains.
“They’ve been so supportive off court, if I have any questions, need any clips of myself, I can go to them and ask and they are more than happy to correct me and really give me that direct one-to-one feedback which I have been soaking up like a sponge.”
Mavericks started their season with back-to-back wins before Phillips came up against her old side.
It was Pulse who took the win at the Copper Box Arena, but Mavericks will hope to bounce back on Sunday against a Birmingham Panthers side who are still searching for their first win.
Having been called up to the Future Roses programme for the first time in 2024, Phillips is taking every opportunity she can get.
“When I first found out I got in, I was so ecstatic,” she added. “You are always aiming to put out your best and I kind of took my debut season for what it was.
“All of those accolades and being acknowledged for that was a shock, because I never thought in a million years I would end that season going into Future Roses.
“I am so grateful, and I want to kick on because it will help me develop. It has been a step up. I’ve done the age groups with England but going into Future Roses is a different level of intensity and training with the Roses alongside you and it is always pushing you. There are always eyes on you.
“Experiencing that and getting to go to Fast5 in New Zealand with the Future Roses was an incredible opportunity but I also realised I was getting to compete on the world stage against those that are like you and that there is still a long way to go.
“It really pushes me to want to strive to eventually to get to the senior Roses because now I have had a taste of it, I want it to continue."
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