England Netball and Vitality have today announced an extension to their long-term partnership which will see the health and life insurance company continue as title partner of England Netball for a further three years.
Vitality will double its investment into netball, marking the single largest ever commercial investment from a brand into the sport in this country.
As part of the agreement, Vitality will continue its naming rights of England Netball’s national team, the Vitality Roses, as well as its title partnership of the Vitality Netball International Series, which includes all home international series at the elite level of the game.
Vitality will also continue to invest in the sport at a grassroots level, helping to inspire and enable women and girls to play netball by remaining as the Official Wellness Partner of England Netball’s Back to Netball programme, which has seen around 140,000 women re-engage in the sport since its inception in 2008. The programme currently attracts an average of 10,000 new participants every year, with 6,500 Back to Netball programmes having taken place since Vitality first came on board.
Speaking about the announcement, England Netball Chief Executive Fran Connolly said: “We are thrilled to extend our partnership with Vitality and remain very grateful for their continued support of netball at all levels. Their belief in our vision to take our sport to new heights has been instrumental in driving netball forwards over the last few years and now, with the Netball World Cup on the horizon, we have a unique opportunity to capitalise on the renewed interest in our sport and continue to grow the game for the benefit of all women and girls.”
The partnership between England Netball and Vitality began in 2015 and this latest renewal builds on a hugely successful working relationship, which has seen significant investment across all levels of the sport over the last eight years, driven by a shared purpose to grow the game and inspire women and girls to live healthy and active lifestyles.
Neville Koopowitz, Chief Executive Officer of Vitality, said: “We are proud to have supported England Netball over the last eight years and watched the Vitality Roses grow from strength to strength, and I couldn’t be more delighted that we will be continuing our partnership for another three years. We share a belief in the power of sport to inspire people to live more active and rewarding lives, and that comes with a responsibility to ensure that it is inclusive and accessible at all levels, from the elite to the grassroots.”
The decision to extend the partnership comes following an exciting period for England Netball, with recent figures from Sport England confirming that the sport has once again overtaken football and returned to the top spot as the preferred team sport choice for women.
More women aged 16+ are now playing netball at every frequency – weekly, fortnightly and annually compared to other team sports, according to figures revealed earlier this year as part of the Active Lives Survey.
