SKY SPORTS will broadcast the Netball Superleague for the first time, starting this November.
The new deal will bring the first regular coverage of domestic netball on British TV. Featuring international stars from England and the other home nations, the Netball Superleague is the most prestigious netball competition in the UK.
A total of 17 matches will be shown from the tournament, starting on Thursday 30 November. During the season Sky Sports will broadcast:
· REGULAR SEASON: One match a week from netball’s Superleague, in prime-time on Thursday nights. Each show will also feature highlights from the week’s three other games.
· PLAY-OFFS: Two games from across both weekends of the knock-out stage of the tournament, played in May 2007.
· GRAND FINAL: The climax of the season, played in June 2007. Last season’s winners were Team Bath.
Under this new agreement Sky Sports will also show six England international matches this season, starting with a three match series against South Africa in January 2007, as well as a tri-nation series, against Jamaica and Australia in May. England, current Commonwealth bronze medal holders, is currently ranked fourth in the world behind New Zealand, Australia and Jamaica. The deal follows Sky Sports coverage of England’s international matches against Jamaica in 2005, and South Africa in 2004.
Announcing the new deal, Sue Ashworth of Sky Sports said; “We are making a real commitment to netball with more than twenty programmes scheduled over the season. It’s an exciting sport, popular with all ages, with strong participation of around 1 million players in the UK, and we are pleased to be able to cover it in such depth.”
Karen Rothery, Commercial Director at England Netball, said: “The announcement of our partnership with Sky Sports comes at a key time for netball in this country. The first season of the netball Superleague was very well received by players and spectators around the country, and we welcome the chance to bring the game to a wider audience, demonstrating how fast moving, physical and exciting netball can be.”
The netball Superleague features eight regionally-based teams from across England and Wales; Leeds Met Carnegie (Yorkshire and Humberside), Northern Thunder (North West), Brunel Hurricanes (London and the South East), Team Bath (South West), Mavericks (East), Loughborough Lightning (Midlands), Team Northumbria (North East) and invitation side the Celtic Dragons (Wales). More details on the tournament can be found at www.england-netball.co.uk.
Key players to watch out for include stars of the England team which won bronze at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, including Pamela Cookey (a rising star in the shooting circle), Naomi Stenhouse and Karen Atkinson (both veterans of three Commonwealth Games) and Chioma Ezeogu (who combines her international netballing career with full time legal studies and a part time modelling career).
In 2005, Sky Sports broadcast almost 40,000 hours of sport covering a wide range of sports played at all levels. Coverage of women’s sport included England football internationals, One-Day cricket Internationals and the final of the women’s Rugby World Cup as well as major women’s tennis and golf tournaments.