Grand Slam heads innovation in netball equipment as demand for the sport grows
Large crowds and massive public interest in the 2015 Netball World Cup has served as yet another example of the huge growth in the popularity of the sport over the last few years.
According to Netball Australia, the ANZ NetSetGO program achieved a record number of participants in 2014 with 145,650 children aged five and 10 year introduced to netball, an increase of 61% on 2013 enrolment numbers. The number of facilities hosting netball also grew significantly over the same period, from just over 1,000 to 1,687 by the end of the year.
This new found growth of popularity is the driving factor that is changing the market for netball sports equipment. With more and more Australians picking up the sport both recreationally and professionally, the demand for more durable and reliable netball equipment has grown as well.
Grand Slam Sports Equipment, with over 30 years of experience in manufacturing and supplying sports equipment, has certainly noticed the increasing demand for netball equipment over the last few decades. As the demand for the sport grows, the versatility of the equipment has become more important. Grand Slam has come up with a number of innovations to match growing demand.
A prime example of such innovation is the introduction of Grand Slam’s height adjustable netball post. Depending on age group, the height of the netball goal post would vary (usually 244cm for seven to nine year olds and 305cm for adults). The extendable netball goal post provides a new level of efficiency for consumers, allowing institutions with varying age groups such as schools to adjust the height of the goal for different classes instead of having to purchase goals of different heights.
Given the new found popularity of indoor netball (which is usually played on multipurpose courts), the market also demands netball posts that are not cemented into the floor. This gave birth to another milestone in the development of netball posts – removable netball goal posts that simply slip in and out of a ground socket.
Grand Slam Sports Equipment, saw an opportunity for light weight, movable, and easily storable goal posts as the solution for netball players on multi-purpose courts. These are now used throughout schools, multi-purpose sports venues and major event centres (including convention centres) across Australia.
Outdoor netball equipment has also seen a lot of change and innovation as a result of the sport’s growing popularity. The netball goal posts used for outdoor courts need to be highly durable to survive the wear and tear from community use, as well as exposure to the elements. As a solution, Grand Slam engineered industrial strength netball which had to be hot dip galvanised and then powder coated to provide the utmost reliability and durability, to ensure the posts and rings are able to be enjoyed for years on end.
The rise in netball’s popularity marks the need for sports equipment to evolve as the market for netball goal posts is no longer as simple as drilling a hole in the ground, installing a sleeve, and concreting a netball goal post in.
As more and more Australian women and men take up the sport, the demand for innovative and versatile netball equipment will grow.
To find out more about Grand Slam Sports Equipment's range of equipment for clubs, schools, councils and homes, click here to visit their entry in the Australasian Leisure Management Supplier Directory.
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