Monday 30 March 2015 12:39, UK
Manchester Thunder's Superleague semi-final showdown at the Manchester Arena will make sure netball is 'as big in the North as it is in the South', says Sara Bayman.
Reigning league champions Thunder will play their final-four clash at the Manchester Arena on April 18. The venue, which has a 21,000 capacity, reflects both the growing popularity of netball and women’s sports as a whole, with Sky Sports broadcasting the match live.
Thunder captain Bayman, a regular for England, told Sky Sports Netball that the franchise's hopes of securing a record crowd for a domestic netball match can put northern netball on the map.
Southern rivals Surrey Storm and Hertfordshire Mavericks have now hosted two Netball London Live events at the Copper Box Arena, pulling in over 6,000 to this year's event.
"All the girls are so excited about it now because we're obviously hoping for a huge crowd to really make that home advantage really count," said Bayman.
"It will be huge for us as a franchise and team to be able to attract that number of people, it would be phenomenal.
"It's just a sign of where netball is going and it would be nice for us as a northern franchise to keep up with the likes of Surrey Storm and make sure netball is as big up here as it is down in London.
"At semi-final time and [in] one-off games you can't be assured of anything. The last thing we want to do is get a big crowd in Manchester Arena and put in a stinking performance."
Profile
Sky Sports has shown exclusive coverage of the Superleague in 2015 and recently confirmed that they will broadcast the Netball World Cup this summer. Bayman admits that Sky's support of the league has helped raise the profile of the sport to a higher level.
She said: "There's a definite feeling that it's really ramped up this year. A lot more people seem to be watching on TV and live.
"Monday Night Netball has really helped with getting people into a routine of knowing when they're going to watch it and really making it a weekly event.
"That's been reflected at games as well with most teams selling out and that can only mean great things.
"The standard of import [players] this year has been so high, and that does create a buzz around it. Internationally people are taking note of the league as well as in this country and seeing that kind of quality on court every week means that our league is growing, getting more competitive and the matches are tougher."
Change
The Thunder camp was rocked earlier this month with the announcement that coach Tracey Neville had been appointed England manager.
Bayman says that despite the surprise, the squad have found ways of finding positives in the situation and says England internationals will appreciate Neville's no-nonsense style of management.
"It was tough week because there was a lot going on off-court which makes it difficult to keep focused on just the job at hand in terms of our Thunder schedule - and that's not just Tracey, that's the players as well.
"After the Bath game we were pleased to get out of there with a win by not playing very well. We drew a line after that game and thought, 'right, everything is done and gone now and we can just get on with our season, settle down again and get back into our rhythm of what we do on a weekly basis', which is a lot nicer and more stable.
"What you see is what you get with Tracey. She's just straight down the line.
"If you're playing awfully she's going to tell you and she's not going to wrap it up for you at all. But likewise, she's happy to give people the credit they deserve.
"From our point of view at Thunder there's very much a feeling we're always supported as players by our coaching staff and we like to try and support them as well. This week was obviously a big week for Tracey and felt like we needed to put out a performance and get a win for her on Monday because of all the scrutiny she'd been under as well. She's a coach that players want to play for and I think that's a big part of how she is at managing a team.
"The England girls will probably enjoy her style; maybe find it slightly more confronting than what some of them are used to but it definitely works in terms of open and honest communication."
Buy tickets to Manchester Thunder's semi-final showdown at the Manchester Arena with Sky Tickets.
