NVL Play-offs preview - Division 1 and 2 promotion places up for grabs as Super League rivals face relegation battles

The Sir David Wallace Building will host 10 matches on Sunday (19th April) across three courts (11am start). 

While the majority of those games will see Division 2 and Division 3 teams vie for promotion, there will also be two matches featuring Super League teams bidding to avoid relegation from the MAAREE Women’s and DYNAMIK Men’s Super Leagues. 

In the first of those, Darkstar Derbyshire women, who finished sixth, will take on Lionhearts Vinarius, who were seventh for the right to remain in the top flight, on court 3. 

Both sides have previous when it comes to this type of occasion, albeit against Division 1 sides aiming to replace them in the top flight. 

Last year, the East Midlanders faced London Giants in Cambridge for the right to play in Super League and came through a tough start to eventually run out straight sets victors. 

And the year before that, at the end of the 2023-24 campaign, the London club retained their elite level status by beating Stockport 3-0 in Ashcombe. 

This time it is an all-Super League match up, with one side staying up and the other consigned to Division 1 volleyball next season. 

Also battling for survival on court 1 will be Leeds Gorse men, who finished sixth, and Richmond Docklands, who were seventh. 

Both those teams have had their struggles at the wrong end of the Super League table in recent times. 

Last year, Kingston-based Richmond overcame the loss of the first set against Black Country to hit back and win 3-1 to preserve their status. 

Leeds, meanwhile, had already won the Division 1 title by that point, having been relegated at the end of the previous season. 

Both teams have strived to develop players of their own and given them regular games time on the biggest domestic stage, but only one can continue to do so in Super League in the 26-27 campaign. 

Preceding those teams on court 1 will be the round-robin between Lincoln Cannons, MK City and Richmond Bucks, who were runners up in Division 2 North, Central and South respectively, as they look to clinch a place in Division 1. 

However, if Richmond Docklands are relegated, then Bucks cannot be promoted as two teams from the same club are not permitted to be in the same division. 

Court 2 will feature a fixture of matches, with the second place team in Men’s Division 3 North, Manchester Liberators tackling runners-up of Division 3 Central, Birmingham City. The winners will be promoted to Division 2. 

It’s the same scenario for Men’s Division 3 South East’s Onyx London and Division 3 South West’s Team South Wales, who will hope to convert second place finishes into promotion. 

After that, Women’s Division 2 North’s The Miners, Doncaster, who missed out in the play-offs last year, will go head to head with Division 2 West’s Oxford Eagles for a place in Division 1. 

The other court 3 matches will see four teams vying to secure Division 2 volleyball as Women’s Division 3 North’s Falcons meet Division 2 Central’s Leicester Athena Nova and Division 3 South East’s Ashcombe Dorking playing Division 2 South West’s Farnborough Phoenix. 

With three Division 2 places available, the two losing sides from those matches will get another chance, facing off against each other to complete the day’s play. 

A reminder that spectators are welcome to attend at the venue, with no charge for entry. 

Alternatively, matches can be watched live on the Volleyball England YouTube Channel.