Elia McCormick is relishing taking netball back to Liverpool
When Elia McCormick steps out on court at the M&S Bank Arena for Manchester Thunder, it will mark not just netball's return to Liverpool, but her own.
The goal defence was one of a few lucky youngsters to take part in a practice warm-up game between Bury and Chester ahead of the 2019 Netball World Cup at the very same venue.
It was a memory the now 25-year-old remembers fondly, with it being her first-ever experience of playing in a stadium and on the same court many of her netball heroes were set to grace in the weeks to come.
Six years later, McCormick will return to the M&S Bank Arena as one of Manchester Thunder's starting seven as they take on Birmingham Panthers in Round 10 of the 2025 Netball Super League.
A move that brings the sport back to Liverpool for the first time since the 2019 World Cup.
"It was really funny because they had the scoreboard up and it said something like Zimbabwe versus New Zealand, so they could check that the lights and scores were up and running and make sure the court was okay," said McCormick.
"Playing there was such a good experience because I had never played in any arena back then.
"It's definitely really cool that Thunder are branching out to more areas in the north and trying to reach that extra fanbase.
"It's such a good arena and I'm excited to play there again."
Thunder saw an emphatic 77-47 victory over Panthers when they last met in Round 2 of the 2025 season.
It was a testament to the north west side who were battling against several injuries in their line-up that rocked their preparation coming into the new term.
But despite their current third-in-the-table status and newfound growth, McCormick knows not to count their opposition out just yet.
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"At the start of the season, those combinations had only a couple of weeks of training behind them and the last time we faced Panthers, it was only our second game," she said.
"Now we've had more than half a season to get stuck in, we've grown so much as a team.
"But that's not to say other teams haven't as well. You can't predict anything. What happened the first time round won't happen the second time round."
A sporty youngster growing up, McCormick found herself drawn to netball after setting up a team with her schoolmates on a Sunday and was soon scouted to try out for Bury Netball Club.
It was a team she held close throughout her teenage years, before also gaining her place on the Manchester Thunder Performance Pathway.
In her own words: "I think I was playing netball near enough every single day growing up."
Having progressed through the pathway like so many others at Thunder, McCormick saw a sudden setback to her career early on during her senior years, suffering an ACL and Achilles injury back-to-back.
It was a difficult couple of years as she was forced to watch on from the sidelines as her teammates took the title of 2022 Netball Super League champions in an unbeaten season.
"When I was playing netball growing up, I was the type of person to never have an injury," she said.
"People would always say I had rubber bones, so doing my ACL was a total shock, and I was in real disbelief at first.
"I'm always a positive person, so I kept going with it, but a year and a half later, I did my Achilles as well.
"Watching from the sidelines, I knew it was pretty gutting as they would have been such good years to play.
"I felt like I was missing out on some of that development, which was disappointing, but you just have to knuckle down and do what you can."
McCormick can confidently say that she is now one of the most consistent members of Thunder's 2025 line-up.
The defender started for Thunder in the first six games of the season and has proved herself outside of the NSL too, as she is in her first year on the Future Roses programme.
And in a year that has finally seen her receive her flowers, McCormick is undoubtedly enjoying every moment.
"This year has been so far my first consistent year without injuries and not being a training partner," she said.
"And it's so good to have girls around me on my team who I've known and played with for years.
"Those first few games I was so nervous to be playing and starting but now we're halfway through, those nerves have eased and I'm excited and ready to play."
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