England Netball has said it’s recorded the fastest and highest grossing ticket sales for it’s upcoming Vitality Netball Superleague (VNSL) 2020 season, and the new Vitality Nations Netball cup. The governing body for netball in England has credited the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup, and the English Roses’ success in the 2018 Commonwealth Games as driving interest.
According to England Netball, Jess Thirlby, head coach for the Vitality Roses, has announced the squad for the January 2020 Vitality Netball Nations Cup. The England team will be meeting champions New Zealand, Jamaica, and South Africa during the series taking place across Birmingham, Nottingham, and London.
Meanwhile, head coach of New Zealand’s Silver Ferns squad, Noelle Taurua has made changes to her team, in preparation for the trip to England in the new year, losing captain Laura Langman, and Katrina Rore, both of whom are taking a sabbatical. They will be replaced by Maia Wilson, Whitney Souness, and Kimiora Poi.
The new Nations Cup kicks off on 19 January, with three of the four days already sold out, and 21,000 spectators expected to turn up to the London and Nottingham events. England Netball has also stated that 95 per cent of the tickets have been sold for the VNSL season opener at Arena Birmingham, where all the teams will play a match on the same day.
Fran Connolly, CEO of England Netball, said: “It is absolutely clear that success at an elite level drives growth across many aspects of the sport and it’s hugely reassuring to see the successes of the Vitality Roses now filtering down to positively impact our domestic ticket buying audiences.”
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