Holding court: ‘Team Girls’ builds confident and resilient girls through netball
As the record-breaking 2024 Suncorp Super Netball season wraps up, Suncorp reflects on its Team Girls initiative and its journey to encourage girls’ participation in netball – empowering young athletes to build strength, confidence and resilience both on and off the court.
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A teacher, a barrister, a content creator, a CEO and an engineer. They are career paths as diverse as the women who carved them. But they have a lot in common. They’re strong, resilient, confident women. And they all credit netball for making them the successful leaders they are today.
Earlier this year, some of Australia’s most successful leaders across different industries, including Suncorp Chief Executive Consumer Insurance Lisa Harrison and Executive General Manager Brand and Customer Experience Mim Haysom, came together as two teams to compete in the Suncorp Off-Court All Stars match as part of the Team Girls initiative.
Team Girls is a community initiative established in 2017 by Suncorp with Netball Australia, dedicated to fostering girls’ continued participation in sport, in particular netball.
Team Girls encourages girls to continue to play netball through their teen years and beyond, by showcasing the positive impact netball has on girls' mental health, physical wellbeing, resilience, and their preparedness for the future.
The initiative was driven by a response to the 2017 Suncorp Australian Youth and Confidence Research which revealed alarming sporting participation trends in Australian teen girls; the most significant being nearly 50 per cent of all girls stop playing sport by age 17.
The research also revealed teenage girls experience declining self-esteem as they grow older and decrease participation in team sports.
For eight years, Suncorp Group has proudly partnered with Netball Australia on Team Girls, with a commitment to decrease girls’ dropout rate in sport and build a nation of confident and resilient girls.
Why netball, and why Suncorp?
Netball has long been the most popular team sport for girls in Australia, and Suncorp is the Principal Partner of Netball Australia and Suncorp Super Netball league, arguably the world’s premier professional netball league.
Suncorp CEO Consumer Insurance Lisa Harrison has been involved in Suncorp Super Netball and Team Girls since the beginning and recognises the positive benefits of team sports.
Suncorp Chief Executive Consumer Insurance Lisa Harrison
At Suncorp, we’re incredibly passionate about supporting women and helping girls reach their potential and achieve their dreams – and netball provides the perfect platform to directly and positively impact the wellbeing of girls across the country.
Team Girls motivates parents and their daughters to continue with sport, via its network of elite athlete ambassadors, community partnerships and online resources.
The Team Girls online hub is a one-stop-shop for girls (and their parents) considering, or already playing, netball or a team sport. It provides expert guides for parents about the importance of team sports, and motivational case studies, videos and articles to inspire their daughters.
Team Girls ambassadors include netball superstars Laura Geitz and Gretel Bueta, who share their stories about how netball brought them friendship, confidence and resilience, and tips for remaining active during the off season.
The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) also partners with Team Girls, and developed videos featuring five elite women athletes who share advice about what it takes to get to the top - the ups, the downs, the support and the resilience required that makes staying with sports worthwhile.
Team Girls delivers a powerful message to Australian girls through its ‘Endgame’ marketing campaign.
In 2023, Team Girls launched the ‘Endgame’ marketing campaign, leading with an empowering TV commercial that celebrated the themes of hard work, confidence, resilience and most importantly – friendship – that is gained through team sports like netball.
The campaign featured a real team of friends and brought to life how netball and team sports are beneficial for young people on and off the court.
The positive power of netball was on display when some of Australia’s most inspiring women leaders took to the court for a special ‘Off-Court All Stars’ match earlier this season.
Some of Australia’s most successful women leaders across different industries – a teacher, a barrister, a content creator, an engineer and more – came together as two teams to compete in the Suncorp Off-Court All Stars match in June, including Suncorp Chief Executive Consumer Insurance Lisa Harrison and Executive General Manager Brand and Customer Experience Mim Haysom.
Ms Harrison said: “It is exciting to bring together successful women from such a variety of industries for the Suncorp Off-Court All Stars match.”
Suncorp CEO Consumer Insurance Lisa Harrison
Playing netball isn't just about winning trophies or being the best athlete, it develops a set of skills that endure far beyond your time on the court.
Although each woman had a different ‘end game’ career in adulthood, each one was positively influenced by the power of netball and credits the game with helping them face challenges in their careers.
Their thoughts on what the game meant to them were captured in a video which will be promoted nationally from August 2024, continuing to inspire young Australian girls with the message: whether you win or lose in sport, these skills and experience help set girls up for a more confident and mentally resilient approach to their future.
#Watch the Team Girls Off-Court All Stars video
This year witnessed a record-breaking Suncorp Super Netball season, with the sport’s popularity exceeding 2023 levels.
Elevating the sport of netball seems to be working - the 2024 Suncorp Super Netball season marked the biggest season in the league’s history. The season was the most attended of any Australian women's sport, with a final total attendance of 366,222.
Suncorp Super Netball also attracted the highest average crowd in Australian women’s sport, with an average of 6,097 fans attending each match – an increase from 5,069 in 2023.
EGM Brand & Customer Experience, Mim Haysom said “At Suncorp, we are proud of our long-standing partnership with Netball Australia and in particular with Suncorp Super Netball. We take great pride in supporting a league of athletes who consistently excel and inspire younger generations to build their confidence and self-esteem through sport participation."
The record season finished on 3 August with a sold-out Grand Final, with winners the Adelaide Thunderbirds putting on an epic performance – a fitting end to a season marked by record-breaking attendances and Suncorp Super Shots.
What is a Suncorp Super Shot?
A Suncorp Super Shot is a recent, exciting innovation in professional netball that allows Goal Attacks and Goal Shooters the opportunity to score two goals by shooting from a 1.9m designated zone within the goal circle in the final five minutes of each quarter.
Suncorp donates $100 for every successful Super Shot scored throughout the Suncorp Super Netball season to the Confident Girls Foundation. The Confident Girls Foundation supports programs to enable disadvantaged girls to thrive through netball, by providing equipment to club houses, funding registration for children in rural Australia, and more.
With a record 709 Suncorp Super Shots scored in 2024, Suncorp Group Chairman Christine McLoughlin presented the Confident Girls Foundation with a cheque for $70,900 at the Grand Final.
The Chairman also announced that Suncorp will be continuing its partnership with Netball Australia into 2025, supporting all levels of netball, from junior, through to Suncorp Super Netball and the Diamonds.
At Suncorp, we know that every girl’s endgame is different. And we’re here for all of them.
