NEW NETBALL UNIVERSE

A NEW ERA AWAITS
NETBALL IN THE UK
by Lawrie Davies, Editor, Netball Universe
It's possible that some who read this first issue
of Netball Universe will be wondering who I
am, and what makes me think I’m enough
of an authority on netball to start a magazine
covering the sport! The fact I’m male, will
probably exacerbate the confusion!!
The answer to the first question, in short, is
twofold; firstly, I've spent my entire adult life
being trained to succeed in
off-field professional sport
by one of British rugby’s
most successful marketing,
commercial & communications
men, and secondly, I'm an
individual that always responds to
opportunity. But the answer to the
second question is even simpler
than that: I don’t think I am an authority
on netball - I’m just an individual
whose passion for the sport runs deep, and in
whatever way I can, I want to make a positive
contribution to the development of netball in
my region and in the UK. Opinions are free,
and I certainly won’t be offended if anybody
thinks my take or Netball Universe’s take on
anything netball related is wrong, after all,
we’re all entitled to our own opinions!
There’s no doubt my love for sport and also,
my knowledge of rugby union past and present,
has stoked my passion for netball. Because
I believe that the journey netball in the
UK is on, bears many similarities to where
rugby union was in the early/mid 1990’s... an
amateur sport on course to become fully professional
over the next few years!
The netball purists out there will probably
hate me for saying that, but it’s to no avail,
because the ship's already set sail. You only
need to look at the images on this page as evidence
of this fact. The Suncorp Super Netball
League in Australia and the ANZ Premiership
in New Zealand are already living the reality
of professional franchise
netball. And the ambition of
Joanna Adams and her England
Netball team means that
it won’t be long before it arrives
on these shores too.
If Australia and New Zealand, with
a combined population of nearly 30
million people and a GDP of 1.4 trillion
(USD), can sustain 14 professional
netball teams, then why would the United
Kingdom, with a population of 65 million
and a GDP of 2.6 trillion, not be able to do the
same, or even more?! The answer is: of course
we could. And we will too. One way or another,
professional franchise netball is coming to
the Vitality Netball Superleague! If for any
reason the UK can’t make it work, then it’s
not because it isn’t possible, it’ll simply
be that those in the hot seats don’t know
how to do it. The southern hemisphere
has shown us what’s possible, and what
one can do, another can do too!
The issue is simply one of timing.
In rugby union, amateurism started
to creak in the late 80's and early 90’s
"One way
or another,
professional
franchise
netball is
coming to
the Vitality
Netball
Superleague!"
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