Consumer electronics company Samsung has taken on naming rights to Australia’s national netball team through an agreement with the Netball Australia governing body.
Under the agreement, the national team will officially be known as the Samsung Diamonds. The length of the agreement was not disclosed.
Samsung will also serve as an innovation partner of Netball Australia, as well as the Super Netball club competition and the Fast5 Netball World Series national team tournament.
In addition, Samsung will support all levels of the sport across Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales. The announcement follows Samsung’s 2016 partnership with Netball Australia and the Rethink Role Models campaign, which brought player stories to life through a mini-series.
Netball Australia chief executive Marne Fechner said: “Samsung’s enthusiasm for growing the game and drive to continue to push the boundaries of innovation is an excellent fit with netball’s objectives of increasing our footprint at all levels of the sport. In order to continue our growth, we must continue to innovate, and this partnership will assist us in doing so across the sport.
“Securing a naming-rights partnership for the Diamonds with a strong global brand is yet another step forward for netball in Australia.”
The partnership has been signed to coincide with the Diamonds’ annual training camp in Canberra, where Samsung will provide each member of the squad with a training kit. Technology such as Samsung Gear 360 will be introduced to enhance the team’s training sessions.