Only four teams have ever won consecutive NSL titles but Bird is looking to Michael Jordan’s all conquering basketball team, who twice won three NBA titles in a row, and the NFL team who won two Super Bowls in consecutive years in the 1990s.
Pulse claimed their first NSL title in 2025 having denied Loughborough Lightning an historic threepeat, but will become the hunted when the Super League returns on 27 February.
Bird said: “I have taken the time to really look at other sports where they have retained titles in basketball and NFL.
“In the Super League, we have had Team Bath who have won back-to-back, and Loughborough, so we are taking what they have done and trying to really think carefully about what has made the difference, whether that is culture, standard of a roster, what your preparation time is, those types of things.
“I was looking at Jordan, I am very much a Michael Jordan fan, so I have been looking at the Chicago Bulls retaining their title.
“For older fans, Dallas Cowboys did the double and I was big fan of the Dallas Cowboys when American Football first came to England.
“I was looking at those teams and their culture. How they pushed on, how they improved and got even better in their subsequent season.”
Stability is crucial to a title defence and London Pulse have been able to retain nine of last season’s squad with South African Kamogelo Maseko the only new face in the team.
Perhaps the most important player to keep hold of was Player of the Final Funmi Fadoju, a star defender for both Pulse and England, who had interest from Australia’s Suncorp Super Netball.
Bird added: “A fair few clubs in Australia have been after Funmi for many years, this year was not unusual, and it is usually multiple clubs interested.
“Funmi is very connected to London, very happy in our club, and she is still improving in her netball, in the England programme and at Pulse.
“Athletes need to be happy away from the court and she has got a really good netball-life balance here.
“Knowing the club is super ambitious and knowing that we want to push Funmi on to continue to become an even better player made the decision quite a comfortable one for her.
“At some point, she will probably end up in Australia but it has to be the right time for Funmi, and people forget how young she is still.”
Pulse begin their season against perennial challengers Manchester Thunder at home, but they may learn more about their title challenge away in the reverse fixture, which will be in Liverpool.
That is because Manchester will host the first northern-based Soft & Gentle Grand Final on 20 June.
Having won the 2025 Grand Final on home turf at London’s O2, Bird and her charges are excited for the chance to triumph in enemy territory.
“The fanbase and netball in Manchester are both strong,” she said. “Manchester-London is a natural rivalry and has been for years.
“Thunder fans are really loud. It will be a real hothouse. The difference with our team now to maybe two or three years ago is they will almost absorb that and use that energy for themselves.
“Before it might have been a threat but now they are comfortable and confident enough to play in any environment.
“It is almost a nice spin for us, having won in London, to try and win in Manchester it is another ambition for us to try and meet.”
The Soft & Gentle NSL Grand Final is coming to Manchester. Sign-up to the Net-work on www.netballsl.comfor early ticket access.