The Vitality Netball Superleague will be returning on 12 February 2021 featuring 11 teams, with the addition of newcomers Leeds Rhinos. The 2021 season, which is set to be the most competitive and exciting yet, will feature some big-name signings from across the world of netball, ready to showcase their skills on court and make their mark on the competition.
Celtic Dragons will be making their seasonal re-appearance against Leeds Rhinos on Friday 12 February at 5.15pm. This game will be televised live on Sky Sports and – as part of a new deal between the Superleague and Sky, EVERY Superleague fixture will now be available to watch LVIE via the Sky Sports YouTube channel. This will include all 20 of Celtic Dragons’ 2021 games.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic the decision was made to host the Vitality Netball Superleague behind closed doors across two venues this season, to enable strict and consistent COVID-19 protocols to be in place for all games, supported by an extensive season-long testing programme across the league. The season will get underway at Studio 001 in Wakefield for the first nine weeks and move to the Copper Box Arena in London for the remaining fixtures.
The fixtures for the highly anticipated Vitality Netball Superleague 2021 season have now been confirmed and can be viewed here.
As part of the groundbreaking partnership, every match of the 2021 season will be covered by Sky Sports through a combination of live TV and streaming coverage as well as highlights, ensuring fans don’t miss a game whilst helping to drive new audiences for the sport, building on the momentum around audience growth seen in recent years.
Tania Hoffman, Celtic Dragons’ Director of Netball said: “We are thrilled that the start date for the 2021 Vitality Netball Superleague has been set. Our team has been working hard in their COVID-safe training environments in preparation for the league and we are ready and raring to go!
“The news that all of our games will be available to watch live is a real game-changer for our fans. The pandemic has had a devastating impact on netball and on the morale and well-being of netballers across the country, so to be able to look forward to dozens of live netball fixtures is really exciting.”
Steve Elworthy, Independent Chair of the Vitality Netball Superleague, said: “As part of our partnership, Sky will broadcast more Vitality Netball Superleague games in 2021 than ever before, covering all 114 matches across the season in some format, helping to drive exposure of the league and directly benefiting our clubs and the wider netball community. Despite the league being played behind closed doors, the Sky partnership will enable us to not only increase visibility but also engage with new audiences – something we are all very excited about.
“Their coverage of the league is vital for the return of women’s sport in 2021 and the visibility of netball and marks a very important and groundbreaking moment for our game.”
Rob Webster, Sky Sports Managing Director, said: “Sky Sports has been a long-term partner of netball since 2006. We are delighted to be expanding upon our existing deal to bring the thrill of the game to our audiences for years to come. At Sky Sports our goal is always to be the best partner to sport and we hope by working together we can help Netball continue to grow in future.”
