England Netball will receive financial backing from Sport England until '21, according to the BBC. The governing body, which agreed to a three-year sponsorship deal with partner Vitality in October, will receive £2.8M ($3.5M) from next year. The National Lottery funding will be used to "support grassroots netball as well as the senior squad," the Vitality Roses. In January, England Netball CEO Joanna Adams said that "she feared for the future" of the national program. She added that this investment will allow the Roses to continue to play full-time, something she describes as "key for their progression and raising the profile of this wonderful sport" (BBC, 12/14).
BANNER NIGHT: In London, Tom Cary reported England Netball's "dramatic last-grasp win" over Australia in the netball final at the Commonwealth Games in April was voted sporting moment of the year. The Roses also claimed the "team of the year" award, beating Europe's Ryder Cup team, the Ireland rugby team and the England football team. According to England Netball, over 130,000 women have taken up the game in the eight months since Helen Housby's "memorable buzzer-beater in the final," which helped England win Commonwealth gold (TELEGRAPH, 12/16).
