Funmi Fadoju

Last updated

Funmi Fadoju
Personal information
Born (2002-08-15) 15 August 2002 (age 22)
Dagenham, London, England
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
School Eastbury Community School
Netball career
Playing position(s): GD, GK
YearsClub team(s)Apps
2020–present London Pulse
(Correct as of July 2025)
YearsNational team(s)Caps
c. 2019 England U21
2022– England 41
(Correct as of July 2025)
Medal record
Representing Flag of England.svg  England
Netball World Cup
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2023 Cape Town Netball

Funmi Fadoju (born 15 August 2002) is an English netball player, who has represented the national team since 2022, and was a member of the England team that came second at the 2023 Netball World Cup. Fadoju plays for London Pulse in the Netball Super League.

Contents

Early life and education

Fadoju is from Dagenham, London. [1] She attended Eastbury Community School, and won a schools cross-country competition in 2017. [2]

Domestic career

London Pulse

Fadoju is 1.76 metres (5.8 ft) tall, which is comparatively short for a defender. [3] [4] She made her Netball Super League debut for London Pulse in March 2020; she came on in the third quarter of Pulse's opening match of the season. [5] She won the Netball Super League Young Player of the Season award in both 2021 and 2022 seasons. [6] Fadoju once played a whole match with a headphone in by accident. [7]

She helped Pulse reach the Netball Super League Grand Final in 2023 however they ultimately lost to Loughborough Lightning. She was also part of the 2024 squad that finished third after defeat in the play-off semi finals. [8] Fadoju was named as the All Star VII GD for the 2024 season, topping the table in every defensive stat and being named in the NSL Team of the Week an 13 times. [9]

Fadoju won her first Super League title in 2025, defeating Loughborough Lightning 53-45. [10] After a strong defensive display with eight deflections, three intercepts and eight gains, Fadoju was named player of the match. [7] She was also named as the All Star VII GD for a second time in the 2025 season.

International career

Fadoju represented England under-21s at the 2019 Netball Europe Under-21 Championships. [11] She was aged 16 at the time. [12]

Fadoju received her first senior callup for the 2021 Vitality Roses Reunited Series, [12] and made her debut for the senior team in their 2022 series against Uganda. [3] She was not selected for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. [3] She played for England in their tour of Australia. [4] [6] In the final game of the series, she was the player of the match with 17 deflections. [4] In December 2022, Netball Scoop named Fadoju joint sixth in their list of world's best players. [4] [3]

Fadoju was selected for the 2023 Netball World Cup, and played in the final, where England lost to Australia to win Silver. She did not play in the 2023 Taini Jamison Trophy Series, but returned to the squad for their December 2023 series against South Africa. [7]

She was named in the squad for the 2025 Netball Nations Cup and was named player of the match in the final against South Africa where England won gold. [13]

Honours

England

London Pulse

Individual Awards

Netball Super League

References

  1. "Funmi Fadoju is only 5ft 9in but has laser-sharp eyes and is netball's next big thing" . The Times . 11 December 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  2. "School Sport: Eastbury claim cross-country honours". Barking & Dagenham Post . 13 November 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "England netball: Funmi Fadoju on rise as Roses prepare to take on Jamaica". BBC Sport . 10 January 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Netball Scoop World's Best Netballer 2022". Netball Scoop. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  5. "Eboni Usoro-Brown hails London Pulse's Funmi Fadoju as teenager shines". Sky Sports . 3 March 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Donnell's dream moment; Roses' rising star 'makes herself known': Talking Points". Fox Sports . 27 October 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 "England Netball: Funmi Fadoju on being clumsy, her rapid rise & idolising Geva Mentor". BBC Sport. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  8. "London Pulse fight back to beat Severn Stars to 2024 Netball Super League bronze". England Netball. 29 June 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  9. "Vitality and Future Roses scoop 2024 Netball Super League awards". England Netball. 6 June 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  10. "Netball Super League Grand Final: London Pulse beat Loughborough Lightning to win first title". BBC Sport. 6 July 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  11. "England squad selected for Netball Europe U21 Championships". News of the South. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  12. 1 2 "Funmi Fadoju". England Netball . Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  13. "England win Vitality Netball Nations Cup for the first time after defeating South Africa 61-55 in the final". England Netball. Retrieved 30 April 2025.