Wednesday 5 June 2019 12:36, UK
Leeds Rhinos Netball will join the Vitality Netball Superleague from the 2021 season.
Since launching in 2017, Leeds Rhinos Netball, which is self-funded, has delivered training hubs, camps and workshops under the guidance of the director of netball Anna Carter.
This year, their U19s side came fourth after their first season in the National League and the Rhinos' Netball Academy has approximately 180 athletes.
Leeds Rhinos Netball is part of the Leeds Rhinos sporting family which incorporates the men's, women's and wheelchair rugby league teams.
"We are delighted with this news. It follows lots of hard work from a lot of people delivering our programmes and working on the application," Carter said, after being granted a Superleague franchise.
Superleague is the icing on the cake and we can't wait to play our part in the competition. We know that the time will fly by and the lead in will give us an opportunity to plan well for a successful entry into the league.
The joy of stepping up into the top tier of English domestic netball was shared by the chief executive of Leeds Rhinos Gary Hetherington.
"There is a lot of synergy between our sports with the strength of rugby league and netball coming from the grassroots of the game," Hetherington said.
"Through the work of the Leeds Rhinos Foundation we are able to use sport to inspire people, young and old, to get active and involved in sport and having netball as part of that offering is a major boost to the opportunities we can offer.
"In Anna Carter, the club has an outstanding coach and sport administrator and it has been great to see her as part of the Leeds Rhinos family sharing ideas and best practise models with all our coaching staff."
Leeds Rhinos Netball will play their home games at a range of venues, including Leeds Beckett University, Sheffield EIS, and the First Direct Arena, with the ambition for a new indoor venue in the medium term in the city of Leeds.
Leeds Rhinos Netball submitted a very strong and comprehensive bid across all areas, we are delighted to have such an established brand on board as we strive to professionalise and commercialise the game at club level.
Leeds Rhinos Netball will play their first Vitality Netball Superleague game in the early part of 2021. In the meantime, they will continue to compete in age group national competitions as well as extensive Hub programmes right across Yorkshire, while also delivering coach development.
Watch every match of the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup live on Sky Sports. Coverage starts on Friday, July 12 plus keep up to date with all of the latest competition news, results and enjoy in-depth features at SkySports.com/netball
