Netball World Cup 2023: Ticket fiasco, blowouts and key take-outs from tournament
Netball’s lightning World Cup exposed new fans to the game and produced some incredible highlights, but there were issues as well that need to be fixed before the next event.
Netball
Don't miss out on the headlines from Netball. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The Diamonds have continued their run of never missing the final since a gold medal match was introduced in 1991.
As netball’s pinnacle event winds down, we revisit the highs and the lows and the lessons the event can provide for Sydney, ahead of Australia’s hosting of the event in 2027.
Ticketing dramas
World Netball apologised to any fans who had “a bad experience” through ticketing issues that marred the World Cup, but stopped short of taking responsibility for the fiasco.
Ticketing issues have been an unfortunate and recurring theme in this World Cup. There were suggestions well ahead of the tournament that the pricing would make attending games prohibitive for South African residents, with the $AUD70 cost to attend a session a stretch for most.
While Proteas games were well attended, many matches were held in front of sparse crowds, especially games featuring lower-ranked non-African nations when even the 1000-seat capacity second stadium was far from full.
Fans that spent thousands to travel to the event on packages also had difficulty accessing their tickets and were moved several times throughout the tournament and even on multiple occasions ahead of matches.
The local organising committee and World Netball took too long to sort the issue out and there were opportunities missed to expose young fans to the game.
Australia has an outstanding record in holding major events and while tickets for the 2027 edition of the event are likely to be in hot demand from the get-go, organisers must ensure all fans have the opportunity to experience the event and price things accordingly.
Lopsided results
There needs to be serious thought given to former Diamonds coach Norma Plummer’s suggestion that the tournament should be broken into a top eight and bottom eight to ensure closer contests.
While the minnow nations love the opportunity to play against the big four, the resulting blowouts do nothing to promote the game.
Jamaica beat Sri Lanka 105-25 in the opening round, while Australia also racked up a century, beating Fiji 101-32 in the preliminaries, and New Zealand trounced Singapore 80-19.
The margins when the minnows came together though were much closer.
Singapore, which entered the 16-country tournament ranked 28 in the world, beat Sri Lanka twice, in the preliminary and playoff stages, to finish 15th in Cape Town, while Fiji eventually finished ninth after wins against Zimbabwe and Trinidad & Tobago.
Those games do more for the development of the sport in their countries than drubbings from the big guns.
Security concerns
The theft of cash from Jamaican players including West Coast Fever’s Jhaniele Fowler was widely reported ahead of the World Cup, but it was just one of several incidents.
The tournament’s security adviser confirmed police had received five reports of theft from three teams – Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Singapore – and while a wedding ring was recovered, the other cases, involving cash, were still open and under investigation.
Team hotels are tiered according to cost and there were no issues for the Diamonds players, or those from other nations staying at the top hotels, while it’s understood players who lost cash also failed to heed advice to use the safes in their rooms.
In terms of personal safety, there were no issues for players or fans in Cape Town, with a massive security presence in the city.
Clash with FIFA Women’s World Cup
It hasn’t been a disaster but there’s no doubt the buzz around a home football World Cup took some of the shine off the Diamonds’ campaign. While the finger can be pointed at World Netball for many things, the scheduling clash isn’t one of them. Netball locked in its dates for the event well ahead of the football World Cup, but there was no consultation from FIFA.
The host for the 2027 FIFA event has not yet been decided but World Netball and Netball Australia will be desperate to avoid another clash while hosting the sport’s showpiece. Already NA is working with officials from Rugby Australia and the 2027 Rugby World Cup organisers to avoid a clash with that tournament, which will also be held in Australia in four years’ time.
The players from each nation have taken pride in following their football teams, with England, Australia, Jamaica and South Africa’s teams in the final 16.
New World Order
The top four teams have been no real surprise to anyone who follows the sport, although gone are the days of automatic domination from Australia and New Zealand.
The Diamonds have never failed to make the gold medal match since a final was introduced at the tournament in 1991 and continued that run, but there was every possibility there could have been an England-Jamaica decider and all have felt the shift in the world order in Cape Town.
“I think coming into this championship we said anybody could win on any given day from those top five,” Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich said.
“It’s great for our sport. We take great pride in what we’ve been able to do across the sport and contribute holistically to the game.”
England coach Jess Thirlby said “the world order is shifting”.
“We know that the margins have shifted,” she said.
“Even though our rankings may have stayed the same, even though we don’t come out with a 3-0 whitewash of a team, you can just feel that everything is moving, it’s pretty dynamic and the margins are so tight.
“I’m really proud that we’re playing a part in shaking up the order. I think the sport needs it, if I’m honest.”
Is 10 days too short?
Eight games in 10 days is a massive physical ask for players and any move towards a more competitive tournament must include more rest for the athletes. Even if there is not a shift to a top eight/bottom eight system, with the game becoming ever faster and more physical, player welfare must come into consideration and a move to a two-week event could be the way to go.
The preliminary stages included five games in five days before a single day off, and some teams were forced to play with little more than 12 hours’ break to accommodate their place in morning sessions following a night match.
With former Super Netball and England player Stacey Francis-Bayman the first athlete representative on the World Netball board, there could be a push for more rest at future World Cup editions.
The joy of South Africa
Ticketing dramas aside, bringing the tournament to Africa for the first time has been a resounding success for the sport. The Cape Town people, the volunteers and tournament workers have been outstanding ambassadors for their city, while the Proteas fans have shaken up the staid netball world with their joyful singing and dancing in the stands.
The tournament will also have a brilliant legacy, with four wooden courts in South Africa and three in other African nations ensuring Tests can be held on the continent, helping bolster the sport.
With the largest sponsorship and broadcast deals in the tournament’s history, the sport also hopes to be able to distribute some funds to its member regions.
Sydney 2027
The World Cup baton has now been passed to Australia ahead of the next edition of a tournament that desperately needs commercial growth if it is to remain a viable and relevant international event.
Not only is there currently no prizemoney on offer for the winner, there is no ability to even fund member organisations to attend the World Cup, leaving a pay to play model that will only reinforce the gap between the haves and have-nots.
There’s no doubt Sydney can deliver a magnificent event. But it needs World Netball to step up to the plate and grow commercially to help ensure the future of a sport that is under pressure from the raft of professional options now open to women.
More Coverage
Originally published as Netball World Cup 2023: Ticket fiasco, blowouts and key take-outs from tournament
‘Still supporting my friend’: Firebirds captain’s balancing act
She’s championing the changes made by the Queensland Firebirds, leading on and off court, while making sure her great mate knows she’s got her back. Welcome to the world of Ruby Bakewell-Doran.
Klau’s masterclass tops team of the week: Cast your vote!
Sarah Klau’s defensive masterclass headlines the Code Team of the Week, while Fever’s Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard continues her hot form. Pick your team and cast your vote!