Super Netball visit scratches the surface of Cairns’ potential

Super Netball’s first foray to the Far North has been considered an overwhelming success but it only scratched the surface of the region’s enormous potential to host elite netball fixtures.

CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA – SEPTEMBER 20: Romelda Aiken of the Firebirds looks to pass the ball past Kadie-Ann Dehaney of the Vixens during the round 13 Super Netball match between the Melbourne Vixens and the Queensland Firebirds at the Cairns Pop Up Arena on September 20, 2020 in Cairns, Australia. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

Super Netball’s first foray to the Far North has been considered an overwhelming success but it only scratched the surface of the region’s enormous potential to host elite netball fixtures, according to Cairns Netball operations manager Tanya Dearns.

Three top-level games were played at the Cairns Pop-Up Arena on the weekend and, despite a reduced capacity at the venue, sellout crowds of about 1000 were in attendance for both days.

The weekend’s most popular fixture between “home” side the Queensland Firebirds and minor premiers the Melbourne Vixens garnered the most attention, with the initial ticket release selling out four hours after they went on sale to the public.

Dearns believed the overwhelming support from the Cairns community had put the region in good stead to secure more Super Netball games in the future.

CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA – SEPTEMBER 19: Layla Guscoth of the Thunderbirds contests the ball with Sophie Garbin of the Swifts during the round 13 Super Netball match between the Adelaide Thunderbirds and the NSW Swifts at The Cairns Pop Up Arena on September 19, 2020 in Cairns, Australia. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

“Had we not been restricted by COVID, I think you probably would have sold that stadium four times over, to be honest,” she said.

“The amount of interest that we had here at the association and prior to the weekend with people wanting to buy tickets was very high.

“We’d like to think that, with the success that has come from the weekend and the feedback that we’ve received as an association from the powers that be that actually make those decisions around the draw, if we can get it sorted, we can probably get a game a year if we work hard for it.

“I think it proved to those living in the metropolitan areas that the regional areas are hanging out for top-level netball.

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“It certainly gives young people the opportunity to see world-class athletes and aspire to be like them.”

Super Netball chief executive Chris Symington said Cairns was firmly on the league’s radar.

“A lot of the stats that I hear coming out of Queensland, and Cairns in particular, is that there’s a large appetite for netball there,” he said.

“One of the advantages of being able to take the competition up there was to be able to see what Cairns has to offer (...) and just to build those relationships with the local community and set a strong foundation for us to potentially come back.”

Symington said the league regularly took games to regional areas, with the aim of expanding the competition’s footprint.

“The way that we get embraced when we come to the regional areas is just fantastic and I know the teams and the players really enjoy coming to the regions as well,” he said.

“As a league, we want to make sure we’re not just basing ourselves in the major cities, but that we get out to the grassroots and the communities as well.”

Originally published as Super Netball visit scratches the surface of Cairns’ potential