The financial problems of Australia’s netball governing body have become a matter of increased interest over the last month.
Netball Australia sold its Super netball grand final to the highest bidder, confirming that it is currently facing serious financial challenges on its way and even saying that it was ready to consider gambling sponsorships that could help it deal with the tough financial times it is experiencing.
The netball governing body of Australia announced its 2021 financial results only days ago, describing the past 12 months as the most challenging year to date and unveiling an AU$4.4-million loss. Its current debt is estimated at AU$4.2 million, and its bank loans are in the process of getting an extension to 2025. As reported by Netball Australia itself, its cash reserves amounted to only AU$160,000 as of December 31st, 2021.
The truth is that the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak has seriously hurt all sports but netball’s losses faced extremely serious criticism because of the sport’s lack of transparency, which eventually resulted in distrust in the ones in charge of the sport.
As reported by Casino Guardian last week, Netball Australia is now considering some lucrative agreements with gambling companies that could help it deal with its financial problems. However, the sport’s governing body will have to make a decision on whether it is willing to make a compromise on its long-term values, considering the fact that netball has been promoted as a family-friendly sport, with a major focus on young girls.
Gambling Sponsorship Agreements Could Undermine Netball’s Integrity in Australia
Unfortunately for Netball Australia, both professional athletes and analysts believe that entering some gambling sponsorship deals is more of a short-term solution that could have a serious negative impact on the trust in the sport, as it would undermine the perception of what makes netball special for Australians. On the other hand, anti-gambling campaigners have warned about the negative effect gambling and sports betting companies’ sponsorships could have on underage individuals, especially with various channels of advertising available.
According to experts, a potential decision of the netball governing body to sign a gambling sponsorship agreement would put the two Super Netball clubs based in the state of Victoria in a difficult position, as they are already collaborating with the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation (VRGF) as part of the “Love the Game” programme. The latter has existed since 2014, and its currently aimed at battling the growing normalisation of sports betting. The existing agreement between the VRGF and the two netball clubs, clubs and sporting bodies in Australia have to turn down gambling sponsorship deals.
The Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation has recently sent a letter to Netball Australia, asking the sports governing body to consider different options rather than entering gambling sponsorships. The organisation cited some Nielsen data studies which revealed that almost 950 gambling adverts were broadcast every day on free-to-air television in 2021 in the state of Victoria, with 148 of those ads being aired in the prime time slot between 6:00 PM and 8:30 PM.
According to Shane Lucas, the CEO of VRGC, the study showed that young people were already heavily exposed to quite a large number of gambling ads, although netball is no longer available on free-to-air television channels. Considering the fact that the content of these ads usually sinks into children’s minds, boosting the exposure of underage individuals to gambling content would put them at risk.
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Olivia Cole
