Co-op boosts netball sponsorship

The Co-operative Group is to sponsor the World Netball Series in Manchester on October 9-11.

The top six nations, England, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Samoa and Malawi, are invited to take part in the series at the MEN in Manchester, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK, and a number of international networks worldwide.

The Co-operative is already a sponsor of the Netball Superleague in the UK, as well as the first ever international Netball Podcast in association with England Netball.

The Co-operative has also been instrumental in championing the bid to have netball included in the Olympic Games, and has secured the support of PM Gordon Brown, Cherie Blair, Dame Kelly Holmes, Denise Lewis, Bryan Robson and more than half a million members of the public.

Liz Matkin, sponsorship manager at The Co-operative, said: “We are delighted to be involved with the World Netball series, especially in our home town of Manchester. The Co-operative has been heavily involved in netball via the Co-operative Netball Superleague and Back the Bid, and so this sponsorship is complementary to our existing portfolio.”