Melbourne Vixens Join Magpies In Bid For Trans-tasman Glory

The Sunday Age

Sunday November 4, 2007

Karen Lyon

VICTORIA'S newest sporting franchise, the Melbourne Vixens, has joined forces with the country's biggest football club, Collingwood, as it looks to be ready for the new trans-Tasman netball competition.

With the five biggest clubs in Australia set to face off against the powerful New Zealand clubs from April next year, Netball Victoria chief executive Sue Crow said the Vixens hoped to be up and running as quickly as possible. Collingwood is set to help the netball club gain sponsors as well as selling its merchandise, providing a membership department and organising corporate and special events.

The football club, however, will not have access to Netball Victoria's massive database of registered players and coaches. More than 100,000 people are registered to play the sport in Victoria, making it one of the largest participant sports in the state.

The Vixens also will train at Collingwood's homebase, the Lexus Centre. "We want to take netball to the next level and want to provide an experience for people who come to the netball that is on par with the cricket, the football, the rugby or whatever," Crow said. "To be able to do things in a more sophisticated manner and more professionally, that is our aim. To use the expertise that Collingwood can provide - we believe that will be good."

Collingwood has been keen to gain a relationship with elite netball in Victoria and had looked at taking over the Melbourne Kestrels when the state had two teams in the now-defunct national competition.

Collingwood's marketing director David Emerson said the Magpies hoped to create cross-marketing opportunities and events between the two clubs. Collingwood is looking to employ Vixen players - a bonus for netballers needing to juggle training and work commitments.

It is the second major pairing of an AFL club and a national netball team. Last week, Port Adelaide became the major sponsor of netball team, the Adelaide Thunderbirds.

© 2007 The Sunday Age

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