Discovery seeks to provide the athletes with physical, mental and financial assistance in a bid to reinforce its support for women in sports.
The SPAR Proteas during half-time in their match against Scottish Thistles on 22 October 2021. Picture: @Netball_SA/Twitter.
JOHANNESBURG – Discovery affirmed its commitment to women’s sports in South Africa on Thursday morning with the announcement that it would become the official wellness partner to the national netball team, the SPAR Proteas.
The company signed a three-year sponsorship agreement with Netball South Africa that will see Discovery taking care of the players’ physical, mental and financial wellness through their brands – including receiving medical aid and banking services.
“Given the inequity of sponsorship in sport, this is a deliberate indication of our support for women in sport. We believe that through the sport of netball, we will be able to inspire South African women and girls to live more active, healthier lives by playing the sport they love,” said Discovery’s chief marketing officer, Firoze Bhorat.
The deal is a significant one as netball is ranked among the top five sports played across all population groups in the country.
Moreover, with two million active participants netball is the most popular sport amongst women.
“Netball is an incredibly important sport in the context of South Africa. People may not realise it is the number one sport played by women in the country and ranks as the second most popular of all sports. With over 4,7 million followers, netball is also ranked as a top-10 spectator sport overall, with consistent growth in interest among both adults and juniors over the past decade,” Bhorat added.
The partnership is intended to go beyond the World Cup in July and is indicative of an involvement that goes further than paying lip service in women’s sports.
Discovery said its aim is to not only lend its support to the talented athletes in the national team but also more broadly to promote the most popular sport for women in the country.
Cecilia Molokwane, President of Netball SA said that the sponsorship will enable them to take the sport to new heights.
“We are thrilled to partner with a world-class, innovative brand like Discovery. This announcement sees the collective utilisation of the power of sport to engage and inspire women and girls to get active and live healthier lives,” she said.
The Discovery Group also announced Vitality’s sponsorship of the Netball World Cup. The Vitality Netball World Cup (VNWC2023) will be held for the first time in Africa in the tournament’s 60-year history.
The highly anticipated event will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 28 July to 6
August 2023, with South Africa hosting 15 teams from around the world.
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