World Netball has been shaken up over the last 4 year cycle, from the World Cup in Sydney in 2015, to this year’s hosting of the World Cup in Liverpool which marks the 15th staging of the tournament.
The speed of growth and the profile of netball has significantly increased in the UK following the Roses success at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The Roses were crowned Gold medallists having beaten defending champions Australia in the final, 52-51.
Both the BBC and Sky Sports are now offering coverage of the Netball World Cup making it available for so many more people to watch, including a dedicated Sky Sports Netball channel, marking a first-of-its-kind channel dedicated solely to coverage of women’s sport. BBC radio 5 live have also launched an exclusive netball podcast. All of this increased exposure has seen opportunities for netballers not representing the Roses this time to commentate or be involved in the media coverage.
Along with this increased profile has also come increased funding and endorsement opportunities for our top players. Sport England awarded £2.8million additional National Lottery funding between 2019 and 2021, and England Netball also secured landmark partnerships with Nike and Vitality. The partnership with health and life insurance and investments provider Vitality is thought to be the biggest-ever UK women’s sport sponsorship deal.
Individual endorsements also continue to grow, just last week Helen Housby announced a new ambassador role with global brand Red Bull ahead of the World Cup action. Increased sponsorship and endorsement opportunities are amazing for our players, and with more Roses success these will only continue to fly in.
However it is also important for players to recognise what they’re signing to ensure that they protect themselves and their commercial identity. This is why the NPA will continue to play a hugely important part in the game over the course of the next 4 years. Offering players professional advice and guidance services, we will continue to help shape the professional era to ensure the very best for our sport and players.
Photo credit: Red Bull UK
This article was written by Amy Cowd
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