Team Jets win promotion to Premier League Two

Jersey's Team Jets have won promotion to Premier League Two for the first time in 11 years.

The islander won 59-53 at Norfolk United to end the season second in Premier League Three and will now move up to the second tier of English club netball.

It is the first time the club has won promotion to that level since 2015, when they had a two-year spell in the division.

"It's a massive achievement, and it's such a wonderful way to end what's been a really successful season for us," co-head coach Emily Green, who runs the side with former England captain Serena Kirsten, told BBC Radio Jersey.

"We've had a couple of big wins recently, but throughout the season the theme has been that we've been getting over the line with a very small goal difference with other teams.

"That's helped to build a huge amount of resilience, so if we've had tight games all season and we've known how to stick to our processes and come out on top, then in the last game of the season with something riding on it, we knew we had what we needed.

"We had to win the game about 25 times over; each quarter there were momentum swings, so we would go on a run, then they would come back and go on a run.

"They kept reacting to what we were setting up, and we had to do the same, so I actually think although it kept us on the edge of our seats, it was a great game to earn Premiership Two status on."

Team Jets have had a number of promotion heartaches in recent years after dropping back down through the levels after their highs of a decade ago.

Green says this promotion is a testament to the attitude and hard work of her team, who have put their disappointments behind them:

""Getting promoted into the premiership is really hard.

"We went to the playoffs quite a few times, and we failed a couple of times.

"No one sees that part; they don't see the heartbreak and putting everything in and sacrificing so much to ultimately not be rewarded with what you want.

"But to stick at it, and those that have stayed in the programme and kept battling and kept giving more and more and more - those girls are highly resilient; they've got a high work ethic, and I just think it comes from that, and it's just such a massive reward for the girls."

And the achievement is even more remarkable given the island side's travel difficulties and the relatively few number of players when compared to the sides they face, are able to draw upon: "We're achieving incredible things on a UK stage, and we're just a small team from Jersey," she said.

"We don't have the same opportunities to play and to practise and have friendlies as other UK teams, but I think it demonstrates that with the right work ethic and application to the right programme you can achieve amazing things.

"I hope it attracts more attention for the sport. We've got incredible sponsors now, but without our sponsors we can't continue as a sport, so I hope it puts all our hard work on the stage."