Netball ready to talk itself up

Netball Australia chief executive Marne Fechner says it’s imperative for her sport to score some big wins in 2019.

Members of each Super Netball team at the season launch in Melbourne yesterday: From left: Layla Guscoth, Kim Green, Geva Mentor, Kate Moloney, Maddy Proud, Gabi Simpson, Laura Langman and Courtney Bruce. Picture: AAP

Netball Australia chief executive Marne Fechner says it’s imperative for netball to score some big wins in 2019 as it passes the halfway mark of a landmark five-year broadcast deal.

Fechner said she expected to begin conversations with Nine and Telstra about a fresh rights agreement at the end of the year, and wanted to be able to show evidence of strong growth when those talks began.

“We see this next broadcast window as really critical for our sport. You want to push, drive and demonstrate that we can do this and we deserve a space in the broadcast ecosystem.”

Super Netball’s third season begins on Saturday, April 27. After a second season that featured substantial tweaks to league rules and introduced a controversial bonus points system, this year is all about “growth and consolidation”.

A key plank to those aims will be reminding Australian viewers about netball’s track record as Australia’s premier sport for female athletes as cricket, AFL, football and rugby all ramp up their support for women’s codes.

“2019 is going to be important, we are riding the wave of interest in women’s sport. Netball needs to step into that spotlight and own it,” Fechner said, adding it has been “awkward” for netball to find ways to talk itself up without appearing to be talking down to other sports.

“As women you want women to have every opportunity that they deserve, and every choice that men and boys have had for years gone by. It’s OK for us to talk proudly about netball.

“But we do need to be better at telling our story, probably with less humility than we have in the past.”

Netball Australia chief executive Marne Fechner at the season launch. Picture: David Geraghty

One of the key changes to Super Netball this year will come away from the court with the establishment of an independent commission to run the league.

Fechner said that after 18 months of consultation and planning, she was certain the independent body was vital for helping Super Netball thrive without the backing that other women’s leagues receive.

“We are not AFL, we are not cricket, we are not resourced in the same way. This is very much around a strategy to drive growth, to give focus to (Super Netball) as a really key driver for our sport.”

The members of the new commission, the first for any female league in Australia, are expected to be unveiled within weeks.

Netball Australia will also be looking for strong ratings in a blockbuster international season this year, which peaks with a two-week World Cup in Liverpool, in July.

The England Roses have carried significant momentum from last year’s Commonwealth Games gold medal win.

Fechner is looking towards “really strong movement” in audience numbers for internationals this year, and said Netball Australia is already working hard on its bid for the 2027 World Cup, which would coincide with the governing body’s 100th anniversary.