Netball SA honoured by prestigious nomination

Netball South Africa and the South African Breweries have announced their delight at the inaugural Brutal Fruit Netball Cup’s nomination for a best new sponsorship award in the sport industry awards.

Sponsored by SAB in association with the Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation, the Brutal Fruit Netball Cup was launched in May this year and added a new dimension to netball in the country by becoming the premier domestic tournament.

The series is Africa’s first semi-professional netball league incorporating 10 provincial teams from all nine provinces. The event generated record media coverage and interest among fans across the country on social media.

The Sport Industry Group unveiled the official shortlist for the Discovery Sport Industry Awards 2015 last week with the winners set to be announced on February 12, 2015.

The shortlist comprises campaigns and brands from 15 different sporting codes and the best that the South African sport industry has to offer.

“We at Netball SA are very proud of the nomination and thank every one of our partners and sponsors for their tremendous support. We knew when we conceptualised the tournament that it was something special to advance women’s sport.

“We have already seen the profile of the sport being raised substantially. Most importantly it has been an incredible platform to reach and inspire young girls who want to pursue a career in sport,” said Netball SA president Mimi Mthethwa.

Mthethwa added that the federation was also grateful for the support it received from the sport and recreation department through
minister Fikile Mbalula.

SAB’s executive director of corporate affairs and transformation, Monwabisi Fandeso, said the nomination was an incredible achievement and the company was humbled by the impact the series had made on women’s sport.

“The South African Breweries has a proud sports sponsorship history that spans over five decades and supports among others, the three national sporting codes of football, rugby and cricket, as well as canoeing, and more recently netball and beach volleyball.

This nomination indicates that our decision to begin addressing the gender discrepancy in sports sponsorship, and to ensure that women enjoy a more equitable share of support has been noted and welcomed by the industry,” said Fandeso.

“We continue to be proud supporters of the Brutal Fruit Netball Cup.”