By Paddy Regester
The Suncorp Super Netball league has the strongest emotional connection with Australian sports fans of any of the major national leagues, according to a survey conducted by True North Research.
4,832 Australian and New Zealand residents were surveyed to determine which teams and leagues brought them the greatest level of pride, trust, enjoyment, respect and bond.
Super Netball ranked number one out of the 13 leagues that were evaluated in the survey, which included the AFL, AFLW, NRL, NBL, BBL, A-League and more.
“It was great to see that our loyal and committed Suncorp Super Netball fans were recognised by the research demonstrating how emotionally connected they are to our great sport,” league CEO Chris Symington said.
“It is no surprise to us that our fans came out on top, they are the major factor in what makes our league so special.”
“We can’t wait to get the competition back up and running to continue giving our fans the opportunity to connect with their teams and their superstar athletes.”
The fantastic result for netball was mirrored at a national team level as well, with the Origin Australian Diamonds finishing as the fourth highest Australian national sporting team.
With the Suncorp Super Netball finishing atop the league voting and the top four national teams being women’s teams, the results were dominated by women’s sport, a result True North Director Georgie Maynard believes has been driven by the athletes.
“Women athletes are particularly aware of the perilous situation that the pandemic has caused for their sport.”
“They have been active during isolation, recognising they had their own role to play in ensuring the future of their sport, be it through salary cuts, keeping fan-engagement levels up and working with the sponsors of their sports.”
The 2020 Suncorp Super Netball season will begin on August 1st with more news on fixturing and regulations coming soon.
