It’s exactly a year since England Netball’s Roses won gold in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, beating favourites and home nation Australia on the Gold Coast.

It was arguably the biggest victory the team has had, and it comes at a time when the sport is growing rapidly. As both a spectator sport and as a participation sport, netball is gaining stature, and creating a buzz ahead of a home World Cup.

So much so that the BBC have, today, republished the entire match footage from that Commonwealth Games final, which is available on iPlayer. Much to the delight of fans, players and journalists alike.

One year ago today…relive every nail biting, nerve shredding moment as @EnglandNetball ???? won Commonwealth gold. Available on iPlayer for a week. “They’ve broken history!” https://t.co/wUl0NS8DuN

— Eleanor Oldroyd (@EllyOldroyd) April 15, 2019

Never had a chance to watch the full tv version how good is @runlikeforrest & @carolinebarker commentary! Love it Thankyou @BBCSport for putting this back up on iplayer https://t.co/MJQFIeSZ49

— jade clarke (@jadeyclarke) April 15, 2019

The English club league, the Vitality Super League, has been hitting screens (including YouTube screens last week) and is beginning to gain popularity, too.

Interestingly, though, England Netball’s strategy for growing the game shows some evidence of thinking outside the box. Rather than aim to grow netball among sports fans, there’s also a desire to grow the sport among the demographics more commonly found in women’s entertainment and lifestyle brands.

That’s having the desired effect, and looks also to be the catalyst for new partnerships which are beginning to bring more support to the game.

Last week, the Roses announced a new partnership with Elastoplast, who have become the Official First Aid Supplier to the team with a view to supporting not just the top end England set up, but also the grassroots game too.

Joanne Sinclair, Commercial Director at England Netball, said, “Like in any sport, athletes and participants at a grassroots level can easily incur an injury, so to have an innovative and trusted brand like Elastoplast on board provides that peace of mind that our netballers want.
“We are delighted to welcome Elastoplast to the netball family, and to know they are on hand to help any athletes or participants with injuries.”

“It’s an exciting time for Elastoplast to join us with the Vitality Netball World Cup just around the corner and netball being thrust into the limelight. We’re very much looking forward to working with their highly experienced team!”

Andrew Rawle, Pharmacy Director at Beiersdorf; the parent company of Elastoplast, said: “Elastoplast recognizes that life is not always smooth, but our mission is to help families across the country keep going, no matter what. For more than 125 years, we have offered expertise in wound care, and are dedicated to supporting people in their time of need, whether it’s treating injuries or muscular pain.

“England Netball is a team associated with unrivalled performance and ambition, and we are thrilled to be partners with such a likeminded team. We wish the Roses every success in Liverpool.”

That caps off a fabulous year not just for the England team, but for the growth of the sport in the UK.

Over the next 12 months, we’ll see what impact a home World Cup has on participation, interest, and even new sponsors for netball.