Mitre joins forces with Netball South Africa

18/03/2010

Johannesburg, South Africa - The world’s oldest manufacturer of soccer balls are joining forces with South Africa’s biggest women’s sport for the next three years.

Mitre – who have been making soccer balls since 1817, and who are world leaders in the manufacture of balls, boots and accessories for soccer, netball, and rugby, as well as the technical sponsors of the England netball team – announced on Friday that they would sponsor NSA until December 2012.

The value of the sponsorship comes to R1million, with the major contribution in equipment. "Mitre are proud to sponsor Netball South Africa and to supply the national team with our world class sports equipment," said Mitre International Managing Director Gary Hibbert. "There should be some exciting netball at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October, and we wish NSA all the best in their preparation for the Games."

Brett Burnhill, MD of Leisure Holdings, the distributors of Mitre in South Africa, said he hoped the sponsorship could be continued beyond the initial three years. "We are absolutely delighted and honoured to be associated with NSA," he said. "We have high regard for all the good work they do, and hope to take this association beyond the three years of the initial agreement.""NSA strive to form partnerships with quality brands as far as sporting equipment is concerned," said NSA President Mimi Mthethwa. "With this in mind, Mitre was the easy choice to make."

The announcement was made at NSA’s "merit" tournament in Pretoria on Friday morning. The tournament, which began on Thursday and ends on Monday, is aimed at providing netball players with a competitive platform without the restrictions of the five/two quota system. Twenty-nine teams are taking part in the tournament at the Tuks Sports grounds in Hatfield.

It is also an opportunity for the national selectors to identify players with international potential as well as to monitor the progress made by members of the national training squad, who have all been given a fitness programme to follow.

At the end of the tournament, the selectors will announce a Spar national team to take on Malawi in a three-Test series next month.

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