What Does the Inaugural Netball Quad Series Mean for the Sport?

It’s always exciting when you have the opportunity to experience a brand new sporting event, and International Netball welcomed the anticipated Netball Quad Series last month. The tournament saw Australia and New Zealand co-hosting, welcoming England and South Africa to compete in a six match tournament. This month, we’re discussing both the tournament itself as well as what it might mean for the future of International Netball. Results First things first, the tournament saw four of the top five ranked netball teams in the world battle it out, with Australia, New Zealand and England making up the top three, and South Africa being number five. Obviously, this meant the level of competition was high and every game was incredibly important. In the end, it was Australia who took the title by beating New Zealand by five goals, allowing them to enter the history books as the inaugural Quad Series champions. Coverage While England may have had a tough time at the tournament, the Series itself was comprehensively covered here in the UK, with all six games being broadcast on Sky Sports, one of the most dominant sports broadcasters in the UK. Of the six games, four were shown on the new channel ‘Sky Sports Mix’, which is free with basic TV packages, meaning the tournament had fantastic levels of exposure throughout the country and beyond. The coverage is important as netball has, historically, not enjoyed as much mainstream exposure as other sports, but Sky seems to be showing great commitment here, and are already promoting tickets for the next iteration of the tournament coming up in February – being hosted in the UK! Television coverage helps the sport grow immensely, allowing more people to discover and enjoy the sport, but the partnership Sky has created to provide tickets to the matches themselves is also critical. Having a well known and popular brand attached so closely to the tournament will not only give it more exposure, it could make people more inclined to give the sport a chance. The Quad Series is the perfect event to hook people in, with some of the best players in the world competing against each other. Timing The Quad Series closely followed the Olympics, which is perfect timing. More focus is placed on different sports around this period, and while netball isn’t yet a part of the Olympic schedule, it is exposure and tournaments like this which can help plead the case that perhaps it should be. The Series is also being planned and structured well in advance, with the February 2017 tournament already fully scheduled and promoted. This shows that real effort is being placed on making the tournament – and thus the sport – as accessible and as visible as possible. It’s easy to imagine that with regular television attention and high attendance figures that netball can really begin to grow again throughout the country, and the aftermath of the Olympics is definitely the perfect period for this to happen. England England’s presence in the tournament is of course a huge boost for the sport in the UK, giving even the most casual domestic viewers a team to root for and connect with. England are ranked third in the world, so they’ve definitely earned their place, and it’s smart to hold the second Quad Series tournament in England in 2017. It gives local fans a chance to show their support for Netball on a brand new stage, and you can expect viewing figures of the tournament and attendance to grow as the tournament develops. This is also crucial in the lead up to the Netball World Cup, which is being held in Liverpool in 2019. There are a few years to develop a strong, passionate fan base and the Quad Series is definitely a great opportunity. England beat South Africa in the first tournament, but will definitely be looking to push back against Australia and New Zealand next time around. Athletes like Jade Clark – who earned her 129th cap, becoming England’s most capped netball player of all time – will continue to break records and perform at the highest possible level, and a regular showcase like the Quad Series, which may grow in the future to include other teams, like Jamaica, is important to grow and maintain popularity of the sport at home and internationally. All in all the inaugural Quad Series was a huge success for the sport, and fans can be optimistic for Netball’s future. More elite tournaments to go along with the World Cup and Commonwealth Games means more chance for new audiences to enjoy all that Netball has to offer, and we are definitely looking forward to following England’s progress when the next edition of the Series comes around in 2017! 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