Netball news: Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich on critics of $15m Visit Victoria sponsorship

Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich has hit back at critics of netball’s $15m deal with the Victorian government as the benefits for the state’s sporting fans were revealed.

Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich has taken a veiled swipe at critics of the Victorian Government’s $15 million commitment to netball, lauding the sponsorship deal with Visit Victoria as a win for the entire sport.

While the proposed Hancock Prospecting deal was with the Diamonds and underpinning high performance programs, with company owner Gina Rinehart adamant money go to players and coaches, the Visit Victoria deal will filter through to the sport’s grassroots over the next four-and-a-half years.

“I think it’s important for the entire sport,” Marinkovich said.

“This is a an arrangement that benefits everyone from community all the way through to the high performance area and we really value the contribution end of the Victorian Government.”

Steve Dimopoulos (left) and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews at a press conference to announce the state’s partnership with the Diamonds.

Plenty of uninformed criticism from angry taxpayers has slammed the deal, arguing the funds should be directed to those affected by recent flooding or schools, roads or hospitals.

But as part of already allocated funds to the state’s tourism and events arm, the sponsorship will bring not just the Diamonds to the state for the next five years, but the 2023 Super Netball grand final and several pathway events that attract hundreds of players and their families who bring a massive collective spend on accommodation, food and tourist attractions.

It’s also a drop in the bucket compared with government spending on sports such as the AFL and racing which regularly attract millions of dollars in funding.

Netball Australia boss Kelly Ryan said netball was finally getting the value it deserves for its content.

“For too long, it’s been completely undervalued and the Victorian Government have realised that and stepped up really quickly to place that value on the sport the way that we place the value on the sport,” she said.

“This is (the government’s) job. This is the role that they play in all sorts of different spaces -be it the arts, sport, et cetera – their job is to bring content to the state for the betterment of the state.

“So we’re no different to that. We know we’ve got a fabulous product and this covers everything from pathway events, through to the elite.

“It’s a great thing for netball more broadly and we definitely believe that the state will be a huge beneficiary of our partnership.”

Liz Watson and Stacey Marinkovich with the Constellation Cup.

The players have been targeted personally by critics of both the Hancock partnership breakdown and the Visit Victoria deal, with NA forced last week to issue a condemnation of online trolls.

But Marinkovich said there had been no sort of social media or internet ban on the players.

“We definitely don’t ban the girls,” she said.

“I think everyone understands their level of tolerance as to what is out there and what people want to read and absorb.

“For us, the focus is in the belief of what we believe is important. People can have opinions and go about their business but for us it’s (about) being able to focus in.

“So we don’t sit on social media and go through it because we can’t control that – and I think this group is very committed about focusing on the things we can control and that’s our performance.”