130,700 women have started playing netball or playing more netball as a result of the Commonwealth Games
On this day six months ago, the England Roses won the Commonwealth Games and wrote their names into the nation’s sporting history.
The England Roses, having reached their first major final, stunned home favourites Australia to claim gold with a last-gasp goal from Helen Housby securing a sensational 52-51 win.
The historic and dramatic moment will live long in the memories of the England Roses and fans across the country.
A whopping 1.8m people in total watched the final live or via the re-run later that day, which was broadcast on the BBC.
According to a recent survey conducted by YouGov PLC on behalf of England Netball, 130,700 adult women have started playing netball or playing more netball as a result of the Commonwealth Games.
The survey also revealed that 77% of adults who paid attention to the netball at the Games agreed that the Roses are an inspiration to girls.
CEO of England Netball, Joanna Adams, said: “Netball fever has well and truly swept the nation over the course of the last six months and England’s dramatic win continues to be talked about globally in the media. I am incredibly proud of the players, Tracey Neville, everyone who has ever played netball, coached, officiated, swept a court, our staff, our volunteers and netball widowers – they were all part of the history that was made that day six months ago.
“We have seen interest in our wonderful sport grow significantly since the Commonwealth Games, with more women than ever signing up to our participation programmes or continuing to follow the Roses’ progress.
“With the Netball World Cup around the corner, I believe momentum for netball will only continue to grow.”
England’s success at the Commonwealth Games has led to an ever-growing fan base for both the sport and the Roses. Of those who had paid attention to the netball during the Commonwealth Games or who had heard that the English national netball team was playing, 12% (which translates into 1.8 million people) said that they are now watching netball or watching more netball on TV since the momentous occasion.
Kadeen Corbin, Commonwealth Games gold medallist, said: “The response from fans has been absolutely amazing, they backed us through the whole Commonwealth Games and to know that your nation is behind you all the way is absolutely fantastic. It’s been a great run for us but we’ve still got so much to do until the World Cup next year and it’s about what we can do now to make ourselves better for that.”
The nation’s eyes are all now on the world number two team as their preparations intensify for the Netball World Cup 2019, which is being held in Liverpool.
Over 70,000 tickets have already been sold for the highly anticipated event.
Lindsay Impett, Netball World Cup 2019 Event Director, said: “The high demand for tickets for next year’s World Cup shows how netball’s profile is growing in the UK, as well as globally. It’s an extremely exciting time to be involved in the sport and especially to be hosting it here in England, after the Gold Coast success. We’re really looking forward to welcoming the world’s elite netball players to the Echo Arena in Liverpool, our world-class venue.”
Courtesy of England Netball
