Netball Super League | Rise Again Festival to live stream Superleague pre-season friendlies

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 18: Activity during the Vitality Netball Superleague Grand Final match between Wasps Netball and Manchester Thunder at The Copper Box on May 18, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images for Vitality)

Over the turbulent months of 2020, Manchester Thunder and Manchester City Council have been working hard to bring netball back into the sporting spotlight, and are ecstatic to be celebrating the return of elite-level netball in announcing our new pre-season event, “NETBALL’S RISE AGAIN FESTIVAL.”

Hosted by television and radio presenter Lindsey Chapman, she will be bringing you a thorough and in-depth analysis and commentary from each game, as well as exclusive interviews with both coaches and players.

Featuring six of the best netball teams in the country, including Loughborough Lightning, Leeds Rhinos, Surrey Storm, Strathclyde Sirens, Manchester Thunder and Saracens Mavericks, the event will be lived streamed from 11.30 am on the 19th December, and will be the first visible match play of UK elite-level netball for nine months.

Lindsey Chapman said: “We’re already looking forward to you joining us and showcasing everything that is great about UK netball.”

The first game centre pass starts at 12.00 pm, with Loughborough Lightning and Leeds Rhinos taking to the court. Then, at 14.00 pm, Surrey Storm and Strathclyde Sirens go head to head. And finally, at 16.00 pm, Saracens Mavericks and the current Vitality Netball Superleague Champions, Manchester Thunder will bring this monumental and celebratory day to a close, playing the final game of the day.

The festival helps to amplify the importance of netball in the UK as Covid-19 continues to heavily impact the team sport in a variety of ways. Prior to the pandemic, netball was recognised as becoming the top women’s team sport in the UK and was undoubtedly thriving amongst female adults and young children. Netball saw a staggering amount of participation amongst all age categories, specifically between May 2018 – May 2019, seeing 50,200 more people taking part in the sport. However, as lockdown struck the nation, the pandemic has had a whirlwind of effects on this treasured sport. However, one of the main attacks on netball has been on the participation levels and the access to facilities needed to play netball safely, which has left both elite and amateur players in an uncertain and anxious situation.

The Rise Again Festival has teamed up with broadcast and production specialists TeleVideo who shoot live UK netball games for Sky, as well as live streaming service Dacast in order to broadcast their matches live on the day, in what promises to be a very enjoyable event.

Live streaming passes can be purchased in advance for £9.95 which will get you over 6 hours of netball entertainment including all 3 live games, and the event can be streamed anywhere in the world.