Mvula hails from David Momba Village in Mzimba, the northern region of Malawi and was born into a large family of eight. Starting her netball journey at primary school, the 26-year old initially went on to star for the Blue Eagles Club, where she developed her raw talent and dedicated her life to the Malawi Police Service.
In the beginning, once Mvula discovered a strong passion to netball, her flair and determination led her to snapping up a prestigious secondary school scholarship. She was soon selected for the Malawi national netball team in 2010, where she played as part of the official national team and made an appearance in the 2014 Commonwealth Games. But, Mvula did not stop there, in 2019 the shooter was named an “unsung hero” during the Netball World Cup. Despite being the second youngest shooter listed, Mvula was crowned the fifth top goal scorer, finishing with a tremendous total of 216 goals
The outstanding goal shooter then went on to sign with Manchester Thunder in 2017, where she has been a crucial player to the team and plays a pivotal role, both on and off the court. Mvula is renowned in the for her strength, splits and flawless shooting accuracy and was crowned the Sky Sports Fans’ Player of the Season in 2019 alongside lifting the Vitality Netball Superleague trophy.
As the early months starved both players and fans from Superleague Netball, Mvula is keen to get back on the court, stating: “I can’t wait to be back – we have unfinished business!”
Mvula says about her return to Thunder, “I am grateful for the opportunity to represent Manchester Thunder in the Vitality Netball Superleague once again. After the elation of becoming champions for the first time in 2019, it was disappointing not to defend our title this year. We will be back stronger for 2021 and I can’t wait to be back on court with my team-mates and hopefully for all our fans to see.”
“I would like to thank all of our fans who have bought memberships to support our club through these times and also to our sponsors who without their support, we wouldn’t be here.
Manchester Thunder Head Coach and Director of Netball Karen said about Mvula “I am so happy to have Joyce back with us for a fifth season, from day one with us she has showed so much progress and has the determination to improve from game to game.
“Her game has developed so much she is now also able to offer us a moving shooter as well as her obvious power and accuracy under the post. As someone still so young, I do see Joyce as a senior member of our squad and her experience both in Superleague and internationally will really help our new young guns Lois and Berri break into the Superleague with confidence. I am excited to see what level Joyce will elevate to this season.”
Manchester Thunder had won all of their four matches in the 2020 season before it was cut short by COVID-19 so they will be eagerly looking to carry forward their undefeated record into the next season and replicate their Superleague success.
