Netball Australia explores gambling partnerships as possibility

At a time when many sports organizations in Australia and around the world are trying to break up with gambling sponsorships – whether willingly or because of anticipating a regulatory crackdown – Netball Australia may not have the luxury to pick sides. The organization is faced with a sharp financial downturn that is making its existence, although the brass is putting on a brave face, and sending a reassuring message but with a caveat.

More revenue would be needed to keep things afloat and as traditional sponsors are a little skittish amid tepid viewership, gambling sponsors are never going to sell no to pushing their product and services to the ever-avid sports fans. It’s easier to judge, but Netball has posted a $7.2 million loss in the past two years.

Besides, Netball may have been avoiding gambling sponsorships, becoming an outlier in the sports world. Much of the current predicament is of course caused not so much by a lack of sponsors, but by the impact of COVID-19 restrictions which effectively stopped all sports events.

The cash-strapped organization has also had to do some thinking on its feet, selling the hosting rights for the Super Netball finals, to Perth. This decision has created some tensions between the organizations and its players but Netball CEO Kelly Ryan has assured that the measure had been necessary to try and work towards the sustainability of the sport.

Ryan, though, assured that the organization was not about to tip over a financial precipice, but the executive preferred to keep the public and participants posted about the challenging economics of the sport at present time. Commenting on whether gambling sponsorships are a possibility, Ryan said that this was indeed the case.

However, no immediate confirmation came last Friday when the official statement was released. Ryan simply stated that gambling sponsorships are some of the most lucrative opportunities in b. But now all comes down to gambling partners, though, because there are still other untapped opportunities, Ryan continued, that would be explored.

"Unfortunately, female sport doesn’t attract the value in sponsorship dollars that some of our male counterpart sports do," Ryan explained. Ryan said that some real out-of-the-box thinking would be necessary to patch itself up. The overall message Ryan sent on Friday, though, was not out of impending doom, but rather one of an improving future.

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