Australia to host 2015 World Netball Championships
Netball Australia will stage the World Netball Championships following the announcement by the International Federation of Netball Associations (IFNA) that Sydney has beaten rival bid city Manchester for the right to host the 2015 World Netball Championships (WNC 2015).
The milestone event occurs every four years and features the top 16 teams from around the globe. The last World Championship held in Australia was in 1991, also in Sydney, when coach Joyce Brown led her Diamonds team to a world title, defeating New Zealand 53-52 in a thrilling grand final.
Netball Australia CEO Kate Palmer said that support from the NSW Government through Events NSW, Sydney's proven experience as a major international event city and a thriving netball community meant Australia was in great position to deliver an event that would have a significant beneficial impact on netball globally.
"This is a dream come true, thanks to a team effort from the NSW Government, Events NSW, the Sydney Olympic Park Authority, Netball New South Wales and Netball Australia.
"We aimed high when we set out to win the right to host the event and our goal now is to deliver the best and most commercially successful World Netball Championships ever, thereby ensuring that IFNA has the resources to deliver the sport's strategic priorities.
"This event will also give us a unique opportunity to showcase the remarkable skill and athleticism of the world's best players, and to encourage and inspire future generations of Diamonds for years to come."
NSW Minister for Major Events Kevin Greene welcomed the decision by IFNA to award the world class event to the harbour city.
"Sydney is Australia's global events city and has an international reputation for staging the biggest and best events in the country. Sydney is Australia's home of netball, a fitting host city for the WNC 2015," Minister Greene said.
"Sydney Olympic Park is perfect location for the championships, providing a compact village for teams and officials with competition and training venues and an array of entertainment options within walking distance from their accommodation."
Acer Arena, the Sydney Olympic Park venue that will host the championship, holds the world record netball crowd of 14,339 for an Australia-New Zealand test match in November 2004.
Stay up to date with all the news and information regarding with 2015 World Netball Championships at www.wnc2015.com.au.
Background
* There are 1.2 million netball players in Australia participating in female, mixed and male competitions.
* Netball is the most popular women's sport in Australia with a national membership exceeding 330,000.
* NSW is Australia's home of netball, accounting for around one-third of nationally registered players.
* Australia is reigning world champion having won the coveted title nine times.
* The next World Netball Championships are in Singapore from 3-10 July 2011.
