Finding Her Pulse

Sophie Kelly’s Remarkable Rise to the Netball Super League Final

The Winchester-born attacker made her league debut with Surrey Storm at just 16 years old before continuing her development with Team Bath, where she balanced elite netball with studies at the University of Bath. Known for her versatility across Goal Attack and Goal Shooter, Kelly also earned recognition through England’s pathway programmes, representing the Roses Academy and England Futures as her reputation continued to grow.

Before arriving in London, Kelly enjoyed two productive seasons with Team Bath, establishing herself as one of the competition’s brightest young attacking talents. Her ability to create space, link play and score from range made her an attractive prospect for ambitious clubs looking to strengthen their attacking unit. Those performances eventually led to a move to London Pulse ahead of the 2025 season, where she joined the reigning contenders at an exciting moment in the club’s history

Pulse head coach Sam Bird was quick to praise Kelly’s impact after her arrival. Speaking to London Pulse, Bird described her as “a really good playmaker as well, got good court craft and is very team oriented,” while adding that the club wanted to place her in situations where she could “thrive.” Bird’s faith was rewarded as Kelly settled seamlessly into the Pulse environment and became an increasingly influential figure within the squad.

The 2025-26 campaign proved to be a breakthrough period for Kelly. Playing alongside established stars such as Olivia Tchine and Nichole Breedt, she developed new attacking partnerships and added another dimension to Pulse’s offence with her long-range shooting. Statistics across the season reflected her growing influence, while her confidence and game management continued to mature. London Pulse’s own coverage noted that Kelly had “slotted in seamlessly” following her arrival, while Sky Sports highlighted her importance by naming her player of the match in the preliminary final victory over Loughborough Lightning.

By the end of the season, Kelly had become an important contributor in a London Pulse side that mounted another title challenge and ultimately finished second. Her energy, shooting accuracy and ability to change games from the bench or starting seven helped drive Pulse all the way to the Grand Final. Although the team fell just short of lifting the trophy, Kelly’s development was one of the success stories of the season and reinforced why she is regarded as one of England netball’s most exciting young attackers. The campaign concluded with London Pulse finishing runners-up after a 61-45 defeat to Manchester Thunder in the Netball Super League Grand Final.