Premier League football clubs are "poised to play a pivotal role in helping to secure netball's future in England," according to Ben Bloom of the London TELEGRAPH. Despite winning a "dramatic" Commonwealth Games netball gold medal against Australia last month, a "huge financial shortfall is imminent" when funding for England's national side is removed entirely next year. With the governing body currently "unable to fund its elite players" beyond '19, the hope is that netball clubs can "fill the void and shoulder the financial burden themselves." England netball execs identified a multi-sport model as the "most likely way of achieving that aim" and a number of top-flight football and rugby clubs in England have "already expressed an interest in creating a netball arm." That process began when Premiership Rugby side Wasps expanded to create Wasps Netball in '16, with the new side winning the Netball Superleague in its first season of existence. England Netball CEO Joanna Adams said that Wasps Netball's success is "proof of a model she would love to see replicated across the country." She said, "We've got some fascinating interest from other entities to come in and join the league. ... But I think linking with an existing club is a really strong proposition because they already have a fanbase and they have that infrastructure that they can put in place around their athletes" (TELEGRAPH, 5/22).
