25th June 2007

Televideo’s first season of the Netball Superleague went out with a bang on Saturday 9 th June 2007, as the Grand Final was broadcast live on Sky Sports. It was a fantastic end to the 23-show series for Televideo, which has seen the 8 top teams in the country battle it out for the NSL Championship, as well as exciting England Test Series against South Africa earlier on in the year, and a tri-nation test in May against world number one and two, Australia and New Zealand, in which England gained a long awaited win against New Zealand. The season has been a great success, with over 1.5 million viewers tuning into Sky Sports to watch the increasingly popular sport being played at the highest level. The Grand Final certainly provided some top quality viewing, as Team Bath and the Mavericks fought to the very last minute to win the NSL 2007 - a tight game ending 53-45 in Team Bath’s favour.

The 2 ½ hour live show was broadcast from the Guildford Spectrum, where a capacity crowd created an electric atmosphere in support of their teams. The extended slot on Sky gave the Televideo production team an opportunity to fill the final show with extra guests, VT packages, and fan interviews, all of which contributed to a top quality programme. Presenter Ingrid Hagemann was joined by England coach Margaret Caldow, and England’s most capped player ever, Kendra Slawinksi O.B.E. Jessica Garland, former England and Team Bath player, and current coach of NSL team Celtic Dragons, also joined the team from her position as courtside reporter. Anita Navin joined Alan Biggs in commentary.

The England Netball Association were very pleased with the Grand Final, and with the public response to the series as a whole. Commercial Director Karen Rothery said, “The production values of the netball have been second to none, and the response from netball fans and new viewers alike has been overwhelmingly positive. England Netball could not be happier with our partnership with Televideo. We have delivered together just what netball needed.” Televideo’s netball production team were also delighted with the way the inaugural televised NSL series has gone, and are pleased with the show’s popularity across the country. The company now look forward to the Netball Superleague 2007/2008.