It’s fast become one of the biggest events on the Sydney sports scene and tickets for next weekend’s Suncorp Super Netball Round 12 Derby between the NSW Swifts and Giants have sold out in record time.
On Sunday 22 June (2pm), 10,000 netball fans will pour into Ken Rosewall Arena for the Swifts-hosted Derby which will see Briony Akle’s ladder-leaders aim to maintain their push for the Minor Premiership and top-spot at the end of the regular season.
With tickets now exhausted, the only way to secure a seat to the Derby is with an exceptionally limited 2-Game Membership (less than 100 available) which includes a Derby ticket and a seat to the Swifts' First Nations Clash with the Sunshine Coast Lightning.
The seven-time Premiers lost their first game of the year last Saturday night against the second-placed West Coast Fever but still sit one win clear at the competition summit with a 8-1 win-loss ratio for the season so far.
The Swifts travel to Melbourne this Sunday to face the in-form Vixens - who have returned to the Finals positions after their own Derby win against the Mavericks - before taking on the Giants at a jam-packed KRA.
With the Swifts attracting an average crowd of 8,000 fans per game (coupled with the Fever, Vixens, Thunderbirds and Firebirds all calling full houses in recent weeks), the sellout is another demonstration of the pulling power of Australia’s No.1 female sports league.
“Fans are voting with their feet and those feet are walking to stadiums to see Suncorp Super Netball,” Jeremy Butler, Executive General Manager of the Swifts, said.
“Netball has long led the way for female athletes when it comes to team sport and now the theatre and event spectacle matches the phenomenal athletic prowess on court.
“This has not happened by accident, and is built on the huge efforts by Clubs such as the Swifts on the training court, and in the back-room teams, over many years.
“The Derby is officially a must-attend event on the Sydney sporting landscape and we cannot wait to welcome another huge crowd to Ken Rosewall Arena.”
Akle said her team were proud to play for the best fans in the league.
“We have a massive game with the Vixens that our focus is on first up, but after that we cannot wait to run out in front of the most passionate fans in Super Netball,” she said.
“Even when we had a poor season last year, the Swifts fans showed up in huge numbers and put wind in our sails. This year we are back in Finals contention and we are doing everything we can to reward their faith in us as we aim to bring another title back to NSW.”
