England Netball faces a funding crisis despite bringing home a Gold Coast gold medal.getty images
England's netball team is "fighting" for its professional future beyond '19 "because of a shortfall in funding" that could leave the sport's governing body unable to support its Commonwealth Games gold medal-winning athletes, according to Sam Dean of the London TELEGRAPH. England Netball is "struggling to find the funds that would allow the national team to remain professional" despite defeating Australia on Sunday to claim its first victory at a Commonwealth Games. The ruling body is "desperately trying to source enough commercial revenue" to keep its elite program in place, but CEO Joanna Adams "warned that brands and companies are not investing enough in women's sport." Adams said, "There has to be a reality check. People are not plowing money into women's sport. Everybody says they are -- and there are a few brave brands -- but realistically people are talking a good game but not parting with money." Sport England gave £3M to the national side in '17 as part of a total award of £16.9M to England Netball. But that money will fund the England national team only until next year’s World Cup in Liverpool. From Aug. '19, the top level of the sport "must generate its own revenue, regardless of how successful the England team may be" (TELEGRAPH, 4/16). The BBC reported England national netball team head coach Tracey Neville, who called Sunday's win the "highlight of her life," said that the sport is "still under pressure from financial constraints." She said, "I can't sit here and say that we haven't got a noose around our neck about money and funding, but these are little steps to try and sustain the income in our sport." Neville added that the U.K. netball Superleague, which resumes on Saturday after a break for the Commonwealth Games, "might also benefit from the national team's achievement on the Gold Coast." Neville: "I think Australia at the moment are tipping the market, with a lot of our girls playing out there" (BBC, 4/16).
