Visit Victoria to Sponsor Netball Australia

So Dan Andrews ALP has announced that 'Visit Victoria' will be sponsoring Netball Australia after the Hancock controversy.

How do people feel about the Victorian tax payers footing the bill, at a time when Victoria is the most in debt state per-capita

also keeping in mind Victorian Health is in the worst shape it i has been in over 5 decades with waiting lists blowing up and ambulance wait times resulting in people needing urgent care dying…..

with that said there is nothing wrong with supporting Australian sport and the Diamonds do need the money….they will be playing a few more games in Victoria which might give 'some' boost however i am unsure how many people 'attend' Diamonds matches im assuming it would be 10-20k which will bring some money back into the state.

https://www.news.com.au/sport/netball/netball-australia-anno…

this is a follow up from
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/732268


my 2 cents - i personally do not support Victorian tax payers footing the bill, spin it anyway you like this is a waste of tax payer money - i probably would be as fussed if the deal was a more 'reasonable' 5-7m but 15m is simply too expensive and the money could be better used else where.

i would support this if this was going into 'grass roots' netball or grass roots sport mens and/or womens but not a professional outfit that 'had' a sponsor from the private sector for me it is just insulting

Poll Options

  • 149
    I support tax payers bailing out Netball Australia
  • 598
    I do not support Tax payers bailing out Netball Australia
  • 16
    Im unsure

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Comments

  • +79

    Its not a purely one way street here. In return, Victoria gets the netball team to play five Test matches and hold their high-performance training camps in Victoria between 2023 and 2026, and the 2023 Super Netball grand final will be played in Victoria.

    I've got no idea how much revenue that will bring into the state from additional tourism dollars; but I would hope they've done some sums to work that out.

    • +28

      I've got no idea how much revenue that will bring into the state from additional tourism dollar

      Be like the fictional figures F1 produces each year

    • +40

      Then there is the other aspect of keeping young people interested in sport. The benefit of this is hard to quantify in actual dollar amounts… but health wise, mental health wise, i'd say it's money well spent.

      • +11

        Or could be even better spent on Hospitals, ambulances etc…..all of which have got worse under Dan's ownership as Health Minister and Premier!

        • +6

          or even more weapons for ukraine!!! praise zelesnky!!!

        • +12

          Most hospital workers agreed that things had gotten better until the pandemic hit. It was pretty bad when the libs were last in power.

          • @serpserpserp: Pity the reality was long ambulance wait times etc…

            • +3

              @Ade99: former Ambo here, its a pity indeed when almost 30% ambo trips are taxi driving old\lonely\hypochondriac people around, because by law ambos have no choice.

          • +1

            @serpserpserp: @serpserpserp The Liberals last held office in Victoria in 2010 - 2014. Labor have been in power for 19 of the past 23 years, with Daniel Andrews either the Minister for Health or Premier for 11 of the past 15 years.

            I'm not saying one is better than the other here, but a comment to say "they did it too", given the time the Labor Party has been in power, can only be political posturing and deflection. We are in the current situation largely because of the policies and actions (or lack thereof) by the current Labor party under the leadership of Daniel Andrews.

        • +23

          That's not how the budget works.

          Hospital spending comes out the health budget.

          This spending is coming out of the tourism budget.

          You're giving a false equivalence.

            • +13

              @Ade99: No - once a budget is passed, the money is already allocated.

              You've already given $113B to Visit Victoria, it's not like that money is sitting in a central location which Visit Victoria then goes to and takes the money out to do this sponsorship.

              The fact that you're confused is more a reflection on you than it is on the way things work.

          • -1

            @lysp: It's all one bucket of money levies/budgets are all just smoke and mirrors

      • -1

        Doesn't keep them interested in sport, keeps the athletes paid despite the fact it's viewership and endorsements can't sustain it. There are many other Australian athletes out there more deserving with greater reach, who have to hold down a full time job to compete. Keep in mind that very few countries compete in international competition with only 8 qualifying for the world cup. There are better ways to increase sports participation as a whole, rather than injecting large amounts of money into a sport no one really cares about.

        • +6

          …a sport no one really cares about…

          Pretty big statement there. I thought netball had one of the highest participation rates for a sport in the country for all age groups.

          • @GG57:

            in the country

            that's the key here, in the country, but not internationally. They're supported as an international team with minimal competition, which I feel really downplays their achievements. There're already strong development pathways for a sport with a low international ceiling. Athletes who actually compete on an international stage are left to beg for the scraps and have to train around other full time work just to survive. Track and field athletes only get their travel paid by the government if they go to the olympics or commonwealth games. They have to seek sponsorships from private organisations to help pay for coaching, equipment and attending the international season (if they can afford it). If netball is truly popular enough in this country then it should have the cashflow to pay for itself without government assistance.

            • @Juice-Wa: My understanding is that netball has high participation rates in the majority of Commonwealth countries. There is certainly an international competition, which is more than could be said for Australian Rules football as an example.
              Australia is currently ranked #1, but regularly has strong competition from NZ, Jamaica, England, South Africa. The sport is in the Commonwealth Games and is recognised by the International Olympic Committee "…because of netball's global popularity…" (but isn't played at the Olympics).

              I don't disagree with your statements regarding track and field athletes. I imagine that team sports are more marketable than individual.

              • @GG57: I'd group netball in the same basket as NRL and AFL (I'd argue that AFL athletes are the fittest and most elite out of the three), limited global participation. Netball it's not a popularised sport in many other nations. It became part of the commonwealth games close to it's inception as a female alternate to basketball. It's not played at the Olympics because it has low participation, making it barely worth the production expense.

                Look at the Australian Men's Indoor Volleyball team if you want to talk about marketable. The sport is the third most popular Olympic sport (behind track and field I might add), they haven't done amazingly in the last few years but have previously made top 10 finishes in a high global participation sport. There's no real development pathway for the sport in the country, athletes have to pay to play in the national league. Even if you play for you state more than likely you wont play for Australia, there's a massive skill gap because the Australian team uses the few players who go overseas that can get paid to play. This takes our most skilled players out of the country and leaves dismal competition inside the nation. So tell me, where is their $15m in support from any state government??? Keep in mind that volleyball has been exploding in participation over the last few years while netball seems to be dropping.

                • @Juice-Wa: I don't know anything about volleyball so did a quick google to see what the popularity level is. On my way to that, I noticed that Volleyball Australia enjoys 'partnerships' (support / sponsorships) from (among others):
                  - Hancock prospecting
                  - Australian Government (Aust Sports Commission)
                  - It's Live in Queensland
                  - Australia's Gold Coast
                  - NSW government
                  - AIS; Aust Olymipc Committee; Aus Commonwealth Games; Qld Academy of Sport; SA Sports Institute; and a few corporate entities.
                  Maybe the problem is with the administration.

                  In terms of sports club participation, Volleyball doesn't rate in the top 10 for Vic, SA or WA (I'm unaware of other states). In Vic, netball is at equal #6 (with cricket).
                  Maybe the sport is just not popular.

                  My view is that netball is a popular sport, with televised competitions at the elite level. The sponsorship opportunity seems modest and has probably already exceeded increased brand awareness expectations (for both the sport and Victoria).

                  Meanwhile, NRL receives a much larger government sponsorship and no-one bats an eye.

                  • @GG57: I can't say that I have delved into the financial releases of volleyball Australia but majority of government support comes from reduced facility hire fees for government owned stadiums. Not sure the government sporting institute is worth noting, this applies to almost all sports. I couldn't find any recent state based studies on sport participation (2016 was the earliest), most recent one I could find is a 2021 or 2020 published on Volleyball Australia's website. As a player I can tell you that it has exploded in the last 3 or 4 years and it has around half the participants of netball, it's an up and comer. But my argument is why does a sport with very little reach internationally but supposed wild popularity inside our country need 15mil specifically for it's Australian team? It should be able to generate its own revenue. Government funding at a non professional level is one thing, but funding an international team which barely has any competition is another. I'm also bewildered as to why the NRL needs government fund though. Government should be diversifying it's sporting investments. People are starting to move away from "you're a guy so you play Rugby/AFL" and "you're a girl so you play Netball". This is why the numbers are dropping for those sports.

        • There are many other Australian athletes out there more deserving with greater reach

          Good opportunity to promote some of them here. I'd be keen to add support to them too.

    • +38

      Being netball,
      The revenue i'd imagine would be minimal.

      • +3

        Well here is someone who clearly has no idea how wildly popular netball is.

        Then again I know fa about mens rugby so I suppose that's fair.

        • +4

          may want to read the room unfortunately.
          And i have a firm grasp on how popular netball is.
          Unfortunately its the same as WAFL and Womens Cricket, patronage is far down on the men and thus ticket revenue.

          if there's no advertising revenue don't blame the people offering the money, maybe look at the game and how its managed.

          • +1

            @Drakesy: pretty sure Netball is the most widely played female-dominated sport in Australia.

            • +1

              @SupeNintendoChalmers: We're talking revenue and ticket sales not players…
              It may be the most widely played but when it comes to sponsorship that doesnt necessarily cut it.

              • @Drakesy: Wouldn't it follow that all of those players would have some interest in the elite level of the sport, and would therefore have visibility of the sponsorship?

          • +1

            @Drakesy: Does Womens Netball have lower patronage than Mens Netball?

            • +1

              @bazzato: From the origin of netball you would find Men's Netball is called Basketball, so to answer your question… Yes, netball has a fraction of patronage.

    • +3

      I can't see Netball bringing in enough revenue to cover that, that is why they find it so bloody hard to find sponsors in the first place, it is not a high interest spectator sport. If it was sponsors would be falling all over themselves to get in on the deal. I do not believe this sort of sponsorship should be allowed, it is basically a few pollies trying to use taxpayer funds to benefit their favourite cause.

      • +6

        I can imagine why its hard for a private sponsor to fund a sport like Netball. How many people who watch Netball would see Hancock Prospecting logo and go, I want to buy their products or invest in their stocks.

        However, the equation is different for an organization like Visit Victoria. Their aim is to encourage people to visit the state. With the Super Netball happening in Melbourne, even just the teams having to travel to Victoria - they will spend money for hotels, food, transport - all of that is contributing to Victoria economy. Even the small amount of fans coming to the State will be spending money in the state. The aim is for people to spend money anywhere on anything in the state - unlike private sponsorship, where the money has to be spent on the private organisation only. So, the equation is very different and I think easier to justify a return for Visit Victoria vs a private org.

        • How many people who watch Netball would see Hancock Prospecting logo and go, I want to buy their products or invest in their stocks.

          Hancock Prospecting is privately held, so you can't invest in them anyway.

          • +1

            @p1 ama: It also doesn't help when private companies sponsor them and the players then complain these are not the 'right' companies. You would think a female lead successful company would be a good fit for women's netball…

            Guess the tax payers get the honour of picking up that $15M shortfall

            • @zephyrfox: The (tax payer) funding to Visit Victoria was already allocated by the government. This isn't new expenditure.

              • @GG57: I get that. Funding isn't infinite. If they are allocating $15M to Netball Australia from the Visit Victoria budget to make up for the fact that the whiny self-entitled players complained about Hancock Prospecting sponsoring them then that is $15M that is no longer available to spend on other opportunities that the Visit Victoria budget could fund that would drive some public good.

                This is a situation of Netball Australia's own making, and instead of them all having to take pay cuts or something similar they instead are using public funds that could have been allocated to help the tourism sector that still haven't recovered from Covid

                • @zephyrfox: Totally agree that there is a potential opportunity cost for Visit Victoria. I think I said that in this forum a couple of days ago.

                  Netball Australia appears to be accepting the offered sponsorship.
                  Visit Victoria's primary objective is obviously to boost the state's tourism sector. They would appear to have made a decision that this sponsorship will achieve their marketing objectives (and it has probably exceeded that already with all of this inciteful commentary).

                  Indeed, your profile shows you as a Queenslander yet here you are discussing Visit Victoria.

    • +17

      Your reminder that the Coalition government gave Foxtel $40m to support women’s sport.

      Murdoch took the money, supported the Coalition, and forgot about women’s sport.

    • +1

      They also got their name into the news cycle, which isn't too bad. It's quite possible this will come out as a better result than spending the money through typical advertising channels.

    • +29

      if you can 'quote' one thing in the last post that was 'misogynistic' from the last post that was in the 'actual' post not comments i would love to read it

      because all i did was post a few articles and run a poll.

        • +25

          im not 'having ago at you' but if you think posting a poll is 'misogynistic' when the 'votes dont go your way….the problem is with you not me.

          i think you are an extremist who cannot admit when you are wrong

            • +15

              @[Deactivated]: come on kajke , link something from OPs previous post to back up you allegation of misogyny.

        • +14

          Oh - so the misogyny is just assumed?
          Right.

            • +12

              @[Deactivated]: Well then you can point to the actual thing that was said, not just your assumption?

        • +14

          Your intent speaks louder than your word

          if Dan Andrews went and put 15m into 'grass roots' netball to encourage the Diamonds of tomorrow - i would have ZERO issue

          this is not a matter of 'gender' it is a matter of i dont want my tax payer money going into professional well paid outfits when kids are missing out on playing due to exorbitant registration fees at the youth level

          that is not just in Netball, - i have been vocal about the cost of playing Soccer in Australia at youth level for about 15 years - netball is probably just as expensive from what i have heard.

          I want my government helping the community not the elite who could of easily been funded by Hancock but 'turned there nose up' - this is not a privilege the local youth clubs have in any sport.

          ESP since covid were grass roots sport has 'really' struggled to keep afloat

          real life example form my kids
          Swimming lessons are 27 p/w and Soccer are 25 p/wk when my daughter is old enough she will do a sport or dance and swimming too - now im in a position where i can afford to send my kids to such activities without too much concern over cost but I'm 'well aware' other parents are not in the same situation i personally dont think kids should be missing out whilst our tax money goes to well paid players - if that opinion is misogynistic to you think im sorry but something is 'wrong with you'

            • +9

              @[Deactivated]: you have gone though probably the 1000 comments/post to find one comment . im sorry but that is pretty sad.

              but i once against 'ask you to quote' form the last forum netball forum what i said that was misogynist - you have literally gone though year of comments and post to find one comment that i'd argue is pretty accurate to the place i use to work for i have no 'put down women' or acted as because i am a man i am 'above' them

              if i had worked in a male dominated workplace and it had the same culture the comment would not change…..so i dont see that as misogynist it is just how i felt about the situation i can 'atest' a fair number of the females in the work force felt the 'same way'

              im sorry but you do not know me and i reckon you would of read a bunch non-misogynist comments in dead set 'creepy' witch hunt which you seemed to ignore because you have no argument and are just overall a 'terrible person' - yes 'you' are a terrible person from the comments you have written here if you cannot see that you got issues….

              anyway thing what you want i couldn't care what a low life prejudice person thinks this will be my last replay as you have slandered me without any proof and imo shown what a 'crap human' you are…..i dare say you take a 'look in the mirror because toxic mentality is no different to what you're moaning about….

              have a good life and please grow up

                • +11

                  @[Deactivated]: comment was from 2020….lmao

                  you got to be trolling at this stage

                  Your intent speaks louder than your words.

                  have a good life …and learn to be less prejudice, not all men are evil

          • +3

            @Trying2SaveABuck:

            i dont want my tax payer money going into professional well paid outfits when kids are missing out on playing due to exorbitant registration fees at the youth level

            This is bang on mate.

        • +8

          So your assuming someone's intent And calling them a misogynist. Why the labels when challenged by an opinion? Just a difference of opinion. I feel like you putting a label is an attack on the individual themselves, which is completely unnecessary. Someone saying an environment is female dominated and quite clicky, isn't misogynistic, it can be fact. You can't decide that as you're not in that workplace.

          • -6

            @cookie2: Ahhhh ….. the support crew rallying around.

            You have conveniently missed OP's little attack with the 'extremist' label - he does this alot …. one of his many quirks that many OzB's are quite familiar with.

            You also totally missed the part where he wasn't sure whether his place of work could be regarded as a work space because it is female dominated.

            What exactly are you defending here?

    • +16

      Hahahaha, not wanting taxpayer money wasted is misogynistic now. What a time to be alive.

    • +4

      No point arguing with the OP. Theres quite a few on the original post with the same thinly veil comments. Wasting keyboard time.

      • -8

        I choose to call this crap out.

        It's just quite sad that they're so bitter that they peddle their crap on a bargain site, of all places.

  • +16

    Classic Chairman Dan move. Personal ROI in the #auspol echo chamber will be high … Victorian taxpayers see their state's finances go backwards.

    But, you know, #yayDan

    • +8

      im with you here Dan needs to go but the opposition isnt great - would love the net election to fill state Parliment with independent MPs who actually 'care' about Vic

      • +5

        …fill state Parliment with independent MPs who actually 'care' about Vic

        except there are none of them either.

      • +3

        im with you here Dan needs to go but the opposition isnt great - would love the net election to fill state Parliment with independent MPs who actually 'care' about Vic

        What policies would you actually like to see implemented by these people who "care" about VIC?

        • +3

          Anything which starts with a detailed public scoping and planning stage before committing huge amounts of funding and commencing construction. Perhaps any project costing more than $100M should require a higher level of democratic involvement?

          • +7

            @BobLim:

            Anything which starts with a detailed public scoping and planning stage before committing huge amounts of funding and commencing construction. Perhaps any project costing more than $100M should require a higher level of democratic involvement?

            So more money to be wasted on reports and analysis.

            • +1

              @smartazz104: The cheapest stage by far, with the potential to avoid wasting billions? Yes more effort should be dedicated to things that matter. I'm sure there's savings to be had by losing a couple of PR staff and cutting the budget for graphic design and"artist impressions"

        • +2

          What policies would you actually like to see implemented by these people who "care" about VIC

          a plan to bring down ambulance wait times so people dont you know die, whilst waiting for one when needing urgent care….

          a plan to keep hospital waitlist no longer then 6-12 mo in the public system opposed to the multi-year waitlists we have developed under this ALP government…

          a plan to improve growing congestion ideally the east west link so people dont have to drive thought the City but not exclusive to the east west link im all for better roads to improve congestion as long as it doesnt mean throwing toxic soil around….

          a plan to pay back the exorbitant debt Victoria has racked up under Andrews

          A plan to choose between 'stamp duty' or an annual tax on property for owners occupiers to low the barrier to home ownership

          a plan to not blow the budget and time frame for essentially every project

          a plan for a hospitals in both far west Melbourne which is growing too fast for the current catchment

          a plan to fix the teacher shortage without you know sacking teachers because they 'refused' to get vaccinated

          a plan not to privities the State revenue office and Vic roads like Andrews has done - not to mention no give Transurban a 100 year monopoly on toll roads….

          a plan to reduce Victoria's carbon foot print whilst keeping energy prices affordable ie dont just 'cut off gas' actually 'have a plan'

          any or all of those policies i'd get behind….. i mean i reckon if i thought out about it i could come up with a lot more but that is a 2sec off the top of my head list.

    • +11

      It's called advertising bro, every state does it, not sure why it's so upsetting to you just because you actually know what the money is being spent on now?

      • +5

        Yes, pretty much this! Millions gets spent on advertising by VV every week. The fact that there is actually some discussion around it means it was money well spent. Usually no one notices.

    • +10

      The Liberals spend our money in ways that make their mates rich, while Labor have been making investments that creates jobs, both directly and indirectly (level crossings, Australia's first heart hospital which is opening shortly).

      Victoria has Australia's leading economy under Dan and Labor.

      https://www.commbank.com.au/articles/business/foresight/vict…

  • +18

    I don't like it, but it's just a drop in ocean amongst all the other millions that get wasted every other day of the year (regardless of which politician is in power).

  • +50

    For those that aren't aware, this is the Visit Victoria brief:
    https://corporate.visitvictoria.com/about

    This sponsorship seems to fit with the purpose of Visit Victoria.

    Nothing to see here really.

    • +43

      Facts don't care about right wing snowflake's feelings.

      • +8

        Shhhhh say it too loud and they will scream their rights to be a bogan again

      • +4

        I know right?

        The left certainly has its share of cancel culture numpties, but it seems like the right are the ones with a greater sense of persecution fetish. Just watch Sky after dark as an example.

    • +3

      How is spending millions sponsoring a sport that has minimal viewers going to promote tourism in Victoria?

      • +17

        Not sure where you are getting stats. Netball has about 1.2 million registered players in Aus and you can see the published viewership numbers on the Suncorp Super Netball site… 6 million viewers for the 2021 season and 7 million viewers in the 2022 season… yes not the same as AFL but not quite minimal dont you think?

        • +7

          How dare you bring facts to the this thread, don't you realise Andrew Bolt tells me that giving $15 million to Netball Australia is socialism?

          /s

      • +1

        It already has because we are all talking about it. In the advertising world this is an amazing result for that kind of spend.

  • +16

    What happens when a Diamond says that they don't think people should visit Victoria because:
    1. Dictator Dan's COVID moves
    2. Previous Victorian Government racism
    3. Statutes not torn down
    4. Insert whatever cause you want here…
    Then what?

    • -1

      Wouldn't it depend on their employment contract content?

    • +6

      Also, what happens when a Diamond finds out that the Australian Labor Party used to vehemently support White Australia Policy?

      • +4

        Bro Whitlam denounced it in 73. Time for a history lesson, your bias is too funny.

        • +1

          History lesson learned: Lang Hancock made those controversial comments back in 1984, which was far closer to 1973 than 2022.

          • +2

            @Aarchangel: So it shouldn't be hard for Rinehart to denounce those statements, right? They're old and out of date, should be a piece of cake for her.

  • +20

    As for the 'taxpayer bailout' thing, is it any different to Tassie sponsoring Hawthorn?

    • +14

      The difference is either women’s sports or the Victorian state government.

      Either way, people angry about one and not the other have double standards.

    • +9

      Depends - is the Tassie govt a billion in debt with a failing health system?

      • they might not be in debt but their public system is an interesting comparison.

      • +1

        $1.5b in debt, although $3b by the end of this financial year. They also have the longest wait times in the country for elective surgery and to see specialists. So.. maybe?

        It's ok though, it'll be fixed in Victoria once the Liberals get in. They'll give doctors and nurses free public transport and they have a 1970s ambulance to put to use. Problem solved.

  • +18

    Dear Netball Australia,

    Don't accept this blood money.

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/mar/04/the-k….

    Dan's grandfather's grandfathers did some bad bad things recently (give or take a couple of hundred years ago).

    We must stand up, we can't be bought for money!

  • +21

    I'd rather support ambulances and firies.

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