Managing Director of Netball Super League Claire Nelson has been at the forefront of the plan to relaunch in 2025 and is excited that Netball in England is finally on the path to professionalism.
The new plans will see transformational change over the next decade on and off the court, driven by innovation and delivering extraordinary fan experiences to power the growth of the game.
Significant step changes from 2025 will include clubs playing in bigger venues and arenas, enhancements in match-day events to excite live and TV viewing audiences, competition improvements to deliver more thrilling, competitive games, as well as advancements in the elite environment.
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The Netball Super League will relaunch in 2025
England Netball is welcoming existing clubs who believe they can play their part in bringing this exciting new era to life, along with new interested parties, to express their interest to tender to participate in the relaunched league from Season 2025.
For Nelson, it is exciting, albeit challenging, to be working on the first steps of the 10-year plan towards a league that "will last".
"It's been a lot and I knew this would be a big job. I don't think I quite realised how big it would be but that's okay because this is what we need to do," Nelson told Sky Sports.
"We are obviously in the middle of an open … process and that has been a lot to work through, supporting existing clubs, talking to potential new entities, really thinking about how we build that infrastructure for our sport moving forward, there's a lot of uncool, unsexy things that need to be worked though but these are the things that are going to be the foundations that we build upon.
"We have to build something meaningful that will last but we also have to do something enough that gets all eyeballs on us and really mobilises this huge sport to get behind our clubs and allows us to go out to the market and go 'hey look at netball we're something different, we're here with this really unique proposition, invest in us, buy into us, be part of our journey'.
"We talk about a 10-year path to professionalisation and going back to my other point, we need to build something that will last, something that truly allows our sport to flourish and thrive commercially.
"We know where our fans currently are, we know what they want, we know what their habits are, we also know where we think there are new fans and what they want.
"So we have to build a product to them because if we cannot get more eyeballs on our game, more bums on seats, then we don't move forward on this journey.
"Getting that product right is absolutely critical and the way we look at it is fewer, bigger, better. So we need to make sure we can deliver these big arena games, that we've got the on court product right because we know that uncertainty of outcome, the real excitement around a game, we saw it at the World Cup, we saw it at the Nations Cup, when you don't know who is going to win or when you're in it until the end, fans wants to watch that and they want to be part of that."
Getting eyes on the product: 17 years of growth with Sky
One of the key aspects of the plan is the relaunch of the Netball Super League, which Nelson has worked closely with Sky Sports to envision.
Indeed, if the on-court product combines with entertainment, and full, vibrant arenas, the new version of the league could be "transformational" for the sport.
"The on-court product also backed up by the off-court piece where you've got this great sport entertainment, this experience that feels value for money because women still are not spending money consistently on being sport fans, cost of living crisis has impacted them, we have all this insight, we have to create something that says this is going to be a great day out and when we do that, we can package it in a way we are filling arenas.
"We're so excited, this is an absolutely ground-breaking new partnership for our sport, for Sky who have been a partner for 17 years to continue to invest in us and be really excited and believe in what 2.0 is amazing but to also recognise visibility and accessibility of our sport to being a free-to-air partner alongside that is transformational.
"We need to make sure we are getting as many eyeballs on the sport across these platforms and that is going to fuel our growth. Sky were really critical in helping us shape what 2.0 looked like.
"When you look at women and girls we have to build something they want to show up to, that they want to consume, that they feel a part of and feel seen. We have an opportunity like no other.
"Our challenge is huge. Really being able to build something around our fans is going to unlock our sport. There is going to be change in that and there is going to be some difficult decisions. I guarantee not everyone will love everything, it's about trusting in myself and the team."
Watch the Netball Super League throughout the season live on Sky Sports. Live coverage begins on Saturday with Seven Stars vs Leeds Rhinos Netball from 11am on Sky Sports Arena and the Sky Sports YouTube channel. Stream netball and more on NOW.
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