netball australia visit victoria

Netball Australia handed $15m lifeline as sponsor saga takes huge twist

Netball Australia has secured a $15m sponsorship deal with Visit Victoria, just days after Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting axed a $15m funding deal with the sport following a dramatic and public falling out.

Earlier this month, foxsports.com.au first revealed Diamonds players, who last night sealed a 2-0 series win over the England Roses with a game to play , had strong concerns over extremely racist comments from the mining giant's late founder Lang Hancock. Among other statements, Hancock called for the sterilisation of Australia’s First Nations people.

In the 1980s, he stated: “The ones that are no good to themselves and can’t accept things, the half-castes — and this is where most of the trouble comes — I would dope the water up so that they were sterile and would breed themselves out in future and that would solve the problem.”

Billionaire Hancock owner Gina Rinehart, who has never publicly addressed her father’s comments, tore up the company’s sponsorship deal with Netball Australia as well as sponsorship deals (through Roy Hill) with Netball WA and Super Netball champions West Coast Fever.

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Donnell Wallam last week became just the third Indigenous player to represent the Diamonds after Sharon Finnan-White and Marcia Ella-Duncan, scoring a matchwinner shot on the buzzer against England in the series opener. Wallam had privately aired her concerns about Hancock’s history with teammates and Netball Australia, asking to be exempt from wearing the Hancock logo.

The request – supported fully by her teammates – was denied by Netball Australia, with Wallam reportedly willing to back down on the request after a public storm erupted.

Visit Victoria will now sponsor the Diamonds on a deal running to 2027 – two years longer than the previous Hancock agreement – providing a much-needed lifeline for the cash-strapped Netball Australia.

The deal, which begins in 2023, will see the Diamonds play at least one test match a year in the state for five years. The Diamonds will also hold training camps in Victoria, as well as appear in tourism campaigns and wear branding on their playing uniforms.

Next year’s Super Netball Grand Final will also be hosted in Victoria, after this year’s final was held in Perth when Western Australia bought hosting rights for the decider – the first time the match’s location had been up for sale, rather than decided by competition results.

Netball Australia CEO Kelly Ryan said a number of potential partners had reached out following Hancock’s stunning decision to withdraw from the sponsorship agreement.

Ryan said the Visit Victoria deal was “unlike any that we’ve done before”, and was “very different” to mining company’s sponsorship.

“So [they] cannot be compared in any way, shape or form, they’re two very, very different partnerships,” she said.

“And this partnership values the content that we offer, so everything from pathway events, through to the elite competition.”

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews labelled it a “coup” for the state.

“We are the sporting and major events capital of our nation … to be able to have the world’s very best netball team wearing our logo, projecting all that we offer to the world and the rest of the country, is absolutely fantastic,” he said.

Diamonds captain Liz Watson said in a statement: “This is a significant partnership for the Origin Australian Diamonds as we prepare to defend our Commonwealth Games gold medal in Victoria in 2026.

“Visit Victoria is a proud supporter of netball and this investment will benefit all levels of our game.”

Netball Australia signs ‘AUS$15m’ Visit Victoria deal

State tourism board replaces hancock after mining firm's deal was terminated amid player backlash..

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Netball Australia has announced a five-year partnership with Visit Victoria which sees the state tourism board’s logo feature on national team uniforms.

The agreement is worth AUS$15 million (US$9.67 million), according to local media, and sees Visit Victoria become a platinum partner of the Australian Diamonds.

The new partnership will also see Victoria will host the 2023 Suncorp Super Netball grand final. The state will also host at least one Diamonds match annually for the next five years, with the deal covering the 2023 Netball World Cup and Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games.

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The deal comes after Netball Australia’s previous agreement with Hancock was recently terminated following player backlash due to the mining company’s record on Indigenous issues. As the deal unwound, the Diamonds played without Hancock branding during the Constellations Cup, prompting the Perth-based company to cancel its agreement.

“This ground-breaking partnership with the Diamonds will allow us to further showcase why we do sport better than anywhere else in Australia,” said Steve Dimopoulos, Victoria’s Minister for tourism, sport and major events.

Kelly Ryan, chief executive of Netball Australia, added: “Victoria is a proud sporting state and we are delighted to announce a new partnership with Visit Victoria.

“The partnership will guarantee Victorians the opportunity to experience more netball across the next five years.  

“This investment will benefit all levels of netball – from our pathway system to the Suncorp Super Netball League and the Origin Australian Diamonds.”

Australian Netball To Showcase Victoria To The World

Victoria will further cement its status as Australia’s sporting capital with a ground-breaking new partnership between Netball Australia and the Andrews Labor Government – making our state the number one supporter of the Australian Diamonds.

In a $15 million partnership with Visit Victoria which will run until June 2027, Premier Daniel Andrews today announced the Diamonds will showcase the nation’s sporting capital with branding on their team kit for home and away tests, while players and coaches will be involved in campaigns to promote Victoria as a fantastic tourism destination.

The world’s top-ranked netball team will also play five test matches and hold their high-performance training camps in Victoria between 2023 and 2026.

The 2023 Suncorp Super Netball Grand Final will be played in Victoria as part of the deal.

Alongside promoting netball at the elite level, the partnership will deliver community initiatives to encourage grassroots participation in the sport, particularly in culturally diverse communities.

Netball boasts the highest level of participation among young women for any sport in Australia – and as one of the nation’s most popular national teams, the Diamonds are an inspiration for women and girls across all levels of the sport.

The partnership builds on the Labor Government’s significant investments in some of the world’s biggest netball events and facilities – including the sold-out Constellation Cup test where the Diamonds emerged victorious over New Zealand, and the redevelopment of the State Netball and Hockey Centre in Parkville.

Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews

“Victoria is our nation’s sporting capital and its best tourist destination – it’s only right we launch this new partnership to back elite netball in Australia and promote our state to the world.”

“This partnership isn’t just about elite netballers – we’re proud to be supporting grassroots netball clubs and increasing women’s participation in sport in every corner of the state.”

Quote attributable to Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos

“As we prepare to host the world’s first regional Commonwealth Games in 2026, our ground-breaking partnership with the Diamonds will allow us to further showcase why we do sport better than anywhere else in Australia.”

Quote attributable to Netball Australia Chief Executive Officer Kelly Ryan

“Victoria is a proud sporting state, and we are delighted to announce a new partnership with Visit Victoria. The partnership will guarantee Victorians the opportunity to experience more netball across the next four and a half years.”

Quote attributable to Australian Diamonds Captain Liz Watson

“This is a significant partnership for the Origin Australian Diamonds as we prepare to defend our Commonwealth Games gold medal in Victoria in 2026. Visit Victoria is a proud supporter of netball, and this investment will benefit all levels of our game.”

Reviewed 31 October 2022

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The Victorian government has announced a four-and-a-half-year deal to become the new sponsor of Netball Australia after Hancock Prospecting’s withdrawal from its $15m partnership amid controversy earlier this month.

The state’s premier, Daniel Andrews , has called the agreement, which will see Visit Victoria plug the hole left by Hancock Prospecting, “a coup”.

Andrews said on Monday the new deal – also worth $15m – had several elements to it and, in addition to supporting the game at the elite level, the partnership will aim to encourage grassroots participation in the sport, particularly in culturally diverse communities.

Andrews also confirmed that Diamonds players would wear the Visit Victoria logo on their uniforms. Under the original Hancock Prospecting deal, some of the playing group expressed concerns that ultimately led to the agreement’s demise.

The Diamonds – the world’s top-ranked team – will play one Test match a year for the duration of the deal and hold their high-performance training camps in Victoria between 2023 and 2026. Next year’s Super Netball Grand Final will also be played in Victoria as part of the deal.

“We are really thrilled today to be able to announce a four-and-a-half-year sponsorship deal where Visit Victoria will become a significant sponsor for the Australian Diamonds netball team,” Andrews said. “This is a coup for our state.

“Obviously there was a sponsor. That sponsor was no more so there was a gap and Visit Victoria raced to fill it. Other states wanted this but Victoria secured it.

“Players in that Diamonds team will wear the Visit Victoria logo. There will be social media content, digital content, advertising during big games. There’ll also be, courtside, a presence as well, taking what is the sports capital, the major events sports capital – food, wine, everything in between capital – of our nation. It’s all about encouraging more people to come here and visit Victoria.

“There’ll be members of the national squad that’ll be involved in participation efforts at that grassroots level. So, going out into Victorian communities, particularly in culturally and linguistically diverse areas.

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“As I said, the uniform, logo, signage, promotional material, all manner of digital content – again, using the very best netballers in our country to project all that we offer nationally and internationally. That advertising’s really important.”

Cash-strapped Netball Australia has been searching for a new sponsor – and a way to ease the financial stress on the organisation – since Hancock pulled out of its deal on 22 October after a player backlash led to scrutiny.

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The team had reportedly stood with squad member Donnell Wallam, an Indigenous player, who had raised concerns within the playing group about the company’s record on Indigenous issues. Despite pulling out, Hancock said it would provide short-term funding until a new major partner was found.

Netball Australia chief executive, Kelly Ryan, welcomed the new deal that covers the national team’s preparations for next year’s Netball World Cup and Victorian 2026 Commonwealth Games.

“Victoria is a proud sporting state and we are delighted to announce a new partnership with Visit Victoria,” Ryan said. “The partnership will guarantee Victorians the opportunity to experience more netball across the next five years.

“This investment will benefit all levels of netball – from our pathway system to the Suncorp Super Netball League and the Origin Australian Diamonds.”

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Netball Australia lands new $15 million sponsorship deal after Hancock Prospecting withdrawal

After losing the sponsorship of hancock prospecting, netball australia has signed a four-and-a-half year deal with visit victoria..

Netball Australia had been left without a sponsor after Hancock Prospecting withdrew. Source: AAP / James Ross

• Visit Victoria and Netball Australia have signed sponsorship deal worth $15 million
• It comes after Hancock Prospecting withdrew its proposed $15 million sponsorship

Hancock Prospecting withdraws proposed Netball Australia sponsorship after player backlash

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Netball Australia bounces back securing Visit Victoria as new sponsor

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By Danielle Long, Acting APAC Editor

October 31, 2022 | 3 min read

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Netball Australia has secured a $15 million sponsorship deal with Visit Victoria after losing its previous deal with mining giant Hancock Prospecting.

Netball Australia secures new sponsor following collapse of Hancock Prospecting deal after player backlash

The Visit Victoria deal will run until June 2027 and see the national netball team, The Diamonds, adopt Visit Victoria branding for home and away games. The 2023 Super Netball Grand Final will be played in Victoria.

As part of the deal, both players and coaches will appear in tourism campaigns for the state’s destinations.

Netball Australia CEO Kelly Ryan told the ABC that Visit Victoria was one of several potential sponsors that had reached out to the sporting body after the high-profile fallout of the Hancock Prospecting deal.

The mining company last week ended its four-year sponsorship deal with Netball Australia after player backlash and protests.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said the sponsorship deal was a coup for the state, which already hosts several iconic national sporting events, including the Australian Open, Formula One Grand Prix, AFL Grand Final, The Spring Racing Carnival, and the Boxing Day Cricket Test.

“We are the sporting and major events capital of our nation … to be able to have the world’s very best netball team wearing our logo, projecting all that we offer to the world and the rest of the country, is absolutely fantastic,” he said.

Diamonds captain Liz Watson said in a statement: “This is a significant partnership for the Origin Australian Diamonds as we prepare to defend our Commonwealth Games gold medal in Victoria in 2026.

“Visit Victoria is a proud supporter of netball and this investment will benefit all levels of our game.”

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Victorian Government steps in to sponsor Netball Australia in $15 million deal after Hancock Prospecting partnership was withdrawn

Daniel Andrews said the Visit Victoria logo will be worn by Australian Diamonds players in a new deal with Netball Australia, after a $15 million partnership with Hancock Prospecting was withdrawn.  

The Victorian Government has struck a deal with Netball Australia to sponsor the national Diamonds team, Premier Daniel Andrews has announced. 

The $15 million partnership will run over four-and-a half-years and see the Visit Victoria logo worn by members of the squad in what Mr Andrews described as a "really big win for Victorian jobs and our tourism sector".

Monday's announcement comes after Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting withdrew its $15 million partnership with the Australian Diamonds just over a week ago after players raised concerns about wearing the mining company's logo.  

"We are really thrilled today to be able to announce a four-and-a-half-year sponsorship deal where Visit Victoria will become a significant sponsor for the Australian Diamonds netball team," Mr Andrews told reporters.

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"This is a coup for our state. This is all about supporting netball. Of course our government has such a strong track record of doing that."

As part of the deal, five test matches and the 2023 Super Netball Grand Final will be played in Melbourne.  

In addition to Visit Victoria branding on team uniforms, the logo will be splashed across social media content and on court advertisements.      

"There will be a number of features to this. Players in that national Diamonds team will wear the Visit Victoria logo both on court and indeed with uniforms beyond being on court formally," Mr Andrews said. 

"There will be social media content, digital content, advertising during big games.

"There'll also be courtside a presence as well, taking what is the sports capital, the major events capital... of our nation to the world, it's all about inviting more and more guests to come and stay here, more and more people to visit Victoria."    

Australian players will be made available to promote tourism in Victoria, and help further grow the game in the state.   

"Members of the national squad will be involved in participation efforts at that grassroots level, going out into Victorian communities, particularly culturally and linguistically diverse communities, encouraging young girls and women to get involved in this wonderful sport," Mr Andrews said.

"This is a coup. Other states wanted this but Visit Victoria worked very quickly and very well.

"To be able to have the world's very best netball team wearing our logo, projecting all that we offer to the world and to the rest of our country is absolutely fantastic from a grassroots level, all the way through to attracting more and more visitors to our state." 

The world's best netball team has a new sponsor. Visit Victoria is the new major sponsor of the @AussieDiamonds . pic.twitter.com/PCUh1BmGHb — Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) October 31, 2022

Visit Victoria reached out to Netball Australia last week in the aftermath of Hancock Prospecting's announcement, which came less than a month after it was revealed as a high performance program partner of the Diamonds.     

The Visit Victoria deal comes at a crucial time for Netball Australia, which posted a $4.4 million loss in the 2021 financial year.

"Whilst we've always had a very strong partnership with the Victorian Government and Visit Victoria in particular, we were absolutely delighted to be able to work with them really closely and really quickly to create this partnership opportunity," Netball Australia CEO Kelly Ryan said.  

Ms Ryan said it was "different constructed partnership" to the short-lived deal with Hancock Prospecting. 

"Different machinations to the previous sponsorship but obviously the logo on the dress will be one of those assets that Visit Victoria will now have the opportunity to utilise," she said. 

Diamonds captain Liz Watson said the team was "delighted" with the new sponsorship deal, as the squad works towards defending its gold medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Victoria.  

Asked "does this deal sit much better with the team than the deal with Hancock Prospecting?", Watson responded: "Obviously I can't speak on behalf of the team".

"But it's really exciting for me, I am a Victorian athlete," she said. 

"I know the girls found out just an hour ago or something and they are really excited."

Hancock Prospecting issued a statement on October 22 announcing it was "regrettably" withdrawing its netball support. 

Indigenous netballer Donnell Wallam had raised objections to the partnership over comments made by Ms Rinehart's father and Hancock Prospecting founder Lang Hancock who in 1984 suggested killing off troublesome Indigenous Australians.

Wallam was set to pursue an exemption from wearing a dress with the sponsor's name when she made her debut for the Diamonds, with her teammates supporting her stance.

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Visit victoria strikes $15 million deal with netball australia after gina rinehart pulls funding.

Multimillion-dollar sponsorship furore strikes netball and cricket

Victorian taxpayers will foot the $15 million bill for sponsoring Australia’s top netball side after mining magnate Gina Rinehart withdrew funding.

Visit Victoria on Monday announced it had inked a four-year partnership with Netball Australia that will run until June 2027.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Sponsorship deal sparks furore.

As part of the deal, the Diamonds will play five Test matches and hold high-performance training camps in Victoria between 2023 and 2026.

The 2023 Super Netball Grand Final will also be played in Victoria regardless of who finishes on top of the ladder.

"It's all unfortunate": PM Albanese comments on netball funding debacle.

“Victoria is our nation’s sporting capital and its best tourist destination – it’s only right we launch this new partnership to back elite netball in Australia and promote our state to the world,” Premier Daniel Andrews said.

“This partnership isn’t just about elite netballers – we’re proud to be supporting grassroots netball clubs and increasing women’s participation in sport in every corner of the state.”

Netball Australia CEO Kelly Ryan said she was “delighted”.

“Victoria is a proud sporting state, and we are delighted to announce a new partnership with Visit Victoria,” she said.

“The partnership will guarantee Victorians the opportunity to experience more netball across the next four and a half years.”

Diamonds Captain Liz Watson said the investment would “benefit all levels of our game”.

Read more of 7NEWS.com.au’s coverage of the sponsorship saga in the links below

Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting withdrew its $15 million sponsorship earlier this month after players were reluctant to embrace its backing.

Indigenous player Donnell Wallam first voiced concerns over comments made by the company’s founder, and Rinehart’s father, Lang Hancock.

The players’ questioning of Hancock Prospecting’s approach to climate change further made them uncomfortable with the association.

After the criticism drew widespread media attention, Rinehart pulled the backing.

Hancock Prospecting in a statement said it did not “wish to add to Netball’s disunity problems”.

“Roy Hill, majority-owned by Hancock, will also be discontinuing its sponsorship arrangement with Netball WA (a member organisation of Netball Australia) to be the principal partner of the West Coast Fever,” it said.

“Hancock and Roy Hill have advised Netball Australia and Netball WA respectively, that it will instead provide a four-month sponsorship should they and their players wish to accept it, to continue funding the athletes and to help netball as it arranges alternative funding and sponsorships.”

Netball loses $15 million as Gina Rinehart pulls sponsorship deal.

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Netball Australia signs $15 million sponsorship deal with Visit Victoria

by Madeline Hislop | October 31, 2022

The Victorian government has filled the sponsorship void at Netball Australia, announcing a $15 million partnership with Visit Victoria.

The sponsorship will run until 2027 and comes days after Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting withdrew its sponsorship of Netball Australia, following player backlash. The backlash came after Indigenous player Donnell Wallam expressed her discomfort wearing the Hancock Prospecting logo on the uniform, on account of horrifically racist remarks made by Lang Hancock in the 1980s

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced the new partnership deal would help both promote netball in Australia and Victoria as a tourist destination.

“Victoria is our nation’s sporting capital and its best tourist destination – it’s only right we launch this new partnership to back elite netball in Australia and promote our state to the world,” Andrews said on Monday.

“This partnership isn’t just about elite netballers – we’re proud to be supporting grassroots netball clubs and increasing women’s participation in sport in every corner of the state.”

As part of the partnership, the Diamonds will play five test matches and hold their high performance training camps in Victoria between 2023 and 2026. The 2023 Suncorp Super Netball Grand Final will also be played in Victoria.

The partnership will deliver community initiatives to encourage grassroots participation in the sport, particularly in culturally diverse communities.

Netball Australia CEO Kelly Ryan said she was delighted to announced the partnership with Visit Victoria.

“The partnership will guarantee Victorians the opportunity to experience more netball across the next four and a half years,” she said.

Captain of the Diamonds Liz Watson said it was significant for netball.

“This is a significant partnership for the Origin Australian Diamonds as we prepare to defend our Commonwealth Games gold medal in Victoria in 2026,” Watson said.

“Visit Victoria is a proud supporter of netball, and this investment will benefit all levels of our game.”

The partnership was announced on Monday, the morning after Australia won their Test series against the England Roses, with a 56-48 win at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on Sunday night.

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‘Gobsmacking’: Netball’s $15 million sponsorship deal with Visit Victoria sparks debate

Netball Australia’s fresh $15 million sponsorship deal with Visit Victoria has sparked fierce debate over the use of taxpayer dollars.

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Netball Australia’s new sponsorship deal with Visit Victoria has divided opinion over the use of taxpayer dollars.

On Monday, Netball Australia announced it had signed a $15 million deal through to 2027 with Visit Victoria , the state government’s tourism agency.

The contract is a huge boost to netball and effectively replaces the same amount of funding Hancock Prospecting had committed before it pulled its support earlier this month.

Watch the best in world netball as Origin Australian Diamonds face England Roses in the England Series Thursday 6:30 PM AEST Live & Free on Kayo Freebies. Join now and start streaming instantly >

Under the new deal, the Australian Diamonds will wear Visit Victoria branding on the uniform and players and coaches will appear in tourism campaigns to promote Victoria as a travel destination.

Victoria will effectively become the home of the Diamonds and will host at least one international Test match for the next five years.

The Diamonds will also hold their high performance training camps in the state.

On top of that, the new deal means the 2023 Super Netball Grand Final will be held in Victoria.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said he was “thrilled” to announce the deal, declaring it a “coup” for the state.

He said “other states wanted this but Visit Victoria got in”.

“Obviously, there was a sponsor, that sponsor was no more and so there was a gap and Visit Victoria raced to fill it,” Andrews added.

“It’s a great coup for the sport, but it’s a great coup for all of the content that will come from this, taking our brand (and) all that we have to offer to the rest of our country and indeed to the world.”

Asked if the state government was setting a precedent for using taxpayer money to fund sports if sponsorship deals fall through, Andrews said: “It’s not a matter of precedents … We don’t just set precedents in Victoria, we set the standard for major events. Dua Lipa played last night, Billy Joel is here in a few weeks. So that’s not just sport, it’s about culture.”

Victorian Shadow Treasurer David Davis said a Liberal Victorian government would honour the deal if it won next month’s state election, but it would prefer to see the government spend money in other areas.

“Although this deal was announced the day prior to Caretaker (pre-election period, can confirm that we are not in the business of ripping up contracts and we will be honouring this sponsorship agreement should we be elected to Government,” Davis said.

“While the Netball Australia sponsorship is not undeserved, with $167.5 billion of debt and the deficit blowing out by another $1.8 billion this year, many people will be wondering why Daniel is able to fund netball, but can’t properly fund essential services such as health and fixing Triple-Zero.”

The $15 million investment from Visit Victoria has angered some who believe it could have been spent by the Andrews government elsewhere.

Liberal Democrats MP David Limbrick tweeted: “Did anyone ask the netball players if they’re happy to wear a Victorian Government logo?”

Channel 7 sports commentator David Culbert said: “I’m all for support for sport. But this is gobsmacking.”

But others said the outrage was overblown and there were far worse things governments could invest in other than women’s sport, netball, and attracting tourism.

Sports journalist Marnie Vinall posted: “You know what, I’m OK with my hard-earned taxes going to women’s sport, this rules.”

🥹 watching my tax dollars being invested in women’s sport while ALSO boosting tourism in regional Victoria 🥹 *pinch me* — Jessica Currie (@Jess_M_Currie) October 31, 2022

To everyone who's cross that netball is now sponsored by taxpayers instead of mining billionaires, just get mining companies to pay more tax and then everyone's a winner — Michael Hopkin (@mikehopkin) October 31, 2022

Junkee’s Lavender Baj said: “I promise you your tax dollars get spent on worse stuff.

“Also like your tax dollars fund politicians lunch every day but go off I guess.”

There had been calls for Australian billionaire companies including software firm Atlassian to intervene but Netball Australia has found an alternative.

Netball reporter Dan Coppel said: “Tourism boards have a mandate to spend taxpayer money to bring events and visitors into town. It’s the literal purpose for their existence. Taxpayers pay tourism boards to bring visitors who spend money on local businesses.

“Tourism boards are supposed to bring high quality events, and make positive associations about the location they are advertising. Destination NSW has been successful at this over the years. NT Tourism has been playing with house money ever since “C U in the NT”.

“This deal is a job well done by @visitvictoria - no bones about it. Are there going to be questions about selling hosting rights to the SSN Grand Final? Maybe. Was it worth it? By the looks of things, absolutely yes. If you want to complain about this, it’s because it removes flexibility for SSN fixturing, Diamonds in small regions (South Aust, West Aust, ACT, etc.)

“It’s not because a taxpayer funded agency has fulfilled its mandate to the letter, and helped a national sporting body with a big financial hole. Job well done!”

Netball pundits also pointed out the new sponsorship deal includes a significant investment in grassroots netball and aligns with the upcoming 2026 Commonwealth Games to be held in regional Victoria.

The deal with Visit Victoria will only enhance Melbourne’s status as the so-called sporting capital of the Australia — adding to a calendar already boasting the Australian Open, AFL Grand Final, Melbourne Cup, cricket’s Boxing Day Test match and the Formula 1 Grand Prix at Albert Park.

Meanwhile, West Coast Fever welcomed Netball Australia’s deal with Visit Victoria and said it’s hopeful on finding a new sponsorship after Roy Hill pulled its funding of the Super Netball premiers.

West Coast Fever CEO Simone Hansen said in a statement: “Netball WA is very pleased to hear about Netball Australia’s new partnership with Visit Victoria.

“Last season, WA hosted the SSN (Suncorp Super Netball) Grand Final so we were expecting that the match would be held on the eastern seaboard and this has now been confirmed.

“We have been overwhelmed by the support of the WA community, existing partners and members over the past two weeks and we want to thank everyone for their good will during this time.”

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Men's netball on the verge of something great, as Queensland signs a groundbreaking deal and Victoria asserts dominance at nationals

We almost lost him to AFL, but it turns out a few years off netball was just what Australian Kelpie player Josh Byron needed to spark the best form of his career.

Crowned the Grand Final MVP at this year's Australian Men's and Mixed Netball Association (AMMNA) Championships on the weekend, the defender played a key role in Victoria's 44-37 victory against New South Wales in the men's opens competition.

It was just one of four divisions the state claimed at the tournament, also winning the men's reserves, U23s and U17s categories.

Although Byron was donning a darker shade of blue than he had in previous years gone by, he said the decider felt more like a healthy rivalry than a grudge match against his old team.

Especially considering there were 10 national players featured in that grand final across the two sides, and the Australian unit tends to be a pretty tight bunch.

The performance puts him in a great position ahead of Kelpies selection for the Australian tours scheduled later in the year, and cements the 27-year-old's decision to venture back to the game in 2023, after moving states and taking a three-year sabbatical.

Aussie Rules or netball?

Byron's netball career began in the NSW U17 pathway and saw him break onto the opens scene fairly early. By the time he had finished the 2019 AMMNA Championships, playing seven years straight had left him burnt out and looking for a new challenge.

The original plan was to take a year off, move to Victoria and pursue Aussie Rules, but then the COVID pandemic hit and those opportunities started to dry up. By 2022, nationals were back and the Kelpies were invited on a groundbreaking tour with the Diamonds, as Byron watched from afar.

The double header matches played during this trans-Tasman tour saw the men's national team televised for the very first time. It was the push the dynamic goal keeper needed to jump back into his old sport and he hasn't looked back.

"I went down the route of putting myself forward in the AFL pathways as an alternative sports athlete, this was right before COVID and they had some great cross-code pathways at the time, so I was grateful enough to be part of the broader Essendon VFL squad," Byron told ABC Sport.

"But watching those nationals in 2022 in Adelaide, I really missed not being there and when I watched the Australian team later that year in that landmark international event, it showed me that there was some clear progress happening in netball that I wanted to be part of.

"Since coming back into the environment I've never felt more invigorated or motivated to keep improving as an individual and there is so much opportunity now to contribute to the bigger picture, which becomes something you can strive towards and hopefully have a positive influence.

"We really want to maximalise the visibility we're getting in men's netball now and ensure we're giving young men role models and a pathway to look to so that they can pursue the sport they love, and not feel like there is an end date or a deadline on when they can play."

Aligning administration

Byron is just one of the interesting characters in men's netball that often fail to get the recognition and media coverage they deserve, but as netball looks to push for a debut at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, things have slowly started to improve.

The men's and women's game are still run separately at a national level, but in many of the states and territories there is a push to bring them under the one banner.

Several M-Leagues are being run by member organisations now and boys categories have been added to various underage state titles.

Netball Queensland is thought to have become the first to actually put a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in place with its senior men's team – the Queensland Suns – while Netball NSW and Netball Victoria are in early talks to do the same.

"If the ambition is to truly grow our footprint at a national and international level, particularly with aspirations of becoming an Olympic sport, then these arrangements will help," Byron said.

"There's such an untapped market in men's netball and to know that there's work being done to move towards more aligned support is exciting.

"These MoUs are the right step forward to creating a more collaborative setup, but we're also realistic in knowing that these things don't happen overnight and we're not standing here demanding a Super Netball league for men next year or anything like that.

"We just hope that, at some point in the future, there are those visible opportunities for men to play the sport and potentially make it their job, because right now, anytime someone posts about men's netball there's always a bunch of comments saying, 'I didn't even know that existed'.

"There is definitely a brand job to be done around the male game and right now the MoUs are a meaningful sign of progress to get us to that place."

Super Netball recognition

At a Super Netball level, this season the Sunshine Coast Lightning have named official male training partners as part of their extended squad – Jordon Webb and Lachlan Carter.

The West Coast Fever have also signed four training partners on a club-based contract – Dylan McPherson, Dan Cools, Jerome Gillbard and Dravyn Lee-Tauroa.

Training against male netballers is common practice for each of the eight Super Netball sides, but generally for the men it is done as a bit of a thankless task, behind closed doors.

Despite most missing out on any formal recognition, Byron says it's not all take, and that the men do tend to learn a lot from these experiences in the high-performance environments.

"Prior to Lightning this year, West Coast and [the now defunct] Collingwood have probably been the two that have involved a large cohort of males consistently at their clubs," Byron said.

"The Giants had Taylor Glassie as an individual training partner in the past and I know the South Australia boys train against the Thunderbirds quite a lot.

"In Melbourne, the Vixens and Mavericks were super accommodating helping us prepare for our nationals campaign, then we also had the public match against the Mavericks in February which was an awesome experience.

"Those two clubs have offered players from all of our state divisions an opportunity to join in at training, so I have no doubt that those types of formal arrangements will continue to grow and be seen more as time goes on."

Should a Men's World Cup be on the cards?

As well as the double headers staged between Australia and New Zealand over the past couple of years in the international window, men's netball also made its debut in Fast 5.

England and South Africa joined the old trans-Tasman rivals at these events and there are many more countries with men's national teams looking for competitive exposure, such as Singapore, who participated as an invitational team at the AMMNA Championships last week.

Then there's the 2027 Netball World Cup set to be held in Sydney, a couple of years before the Brisbane 2032 organising committee make the call on which Australian local sports to put forward for the Olympic Games.

So, could netball's 2027 event be an opportunity to stage a smaller-scale men's World Cup running parallel to the women's? Maybe that would catch the eyes of the Olympic organising committee?

"There's an appetite from every male player to see something like that happen and we've organised our own world events in the past, I think way back in 2013 was the last one, but crystal balling what the future looks like, whether they decided to align the men's and women's cycles or have them on opposing cycles so you get one major tournament every two years, who knows," Byron said.

"It seems like a goal that's really far away and whether it would take three years or more like another World Cup cycle or two … Never say never … There are a large cohort of countries that play and if the post-COVID growth of men's netball is anything to go by then the opportunities are truly endless.

"Right now, we use all our annual leave in our full-time jobs for national champs and our Kelpies commitments, and we're still paying our way to play, so there's a lot of sacrifice there.

"We understand we may not be part of the generation that gets to bear the fruits of that, but in 10 years, if we can sit back and be happy for the state of the game, then we'll be proud."

2024 AMMNA Championships results

Men's Open — Victoria

Men's Reserves — Victoria

Mixed Open — New South Wales

Mixed Reserves — Queensland

23/Under — Victoria

20/Under — West Coast

17/Under — Victoria

International Athlete of the Year Award: Liam Forcadilla (NSW)

Emerging International Athlete of the Year Award: Daniel Statton (QLD U17)

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