'We want to be a part of it' - Leeds Rhinos give verdict on Netball 2.0 and their arena plans in their home city

England Netball is to decide which teams to award franchise licences, to join them in their vision for a more professional sport from 2025.

‘Netball 2.0’ is the working title of a plan that was launched prior to the current Super League season in February.

Leeds Rhinos have applied to be a part of the new format even if they still have questions they want answering about what Netball 2.0 actually looks like.

The answers to those questions will then have a bearing on whether they accept, if offered, a franchise, and whether they will continue looking for a permanent home in Leeds.

For as energised as the club was to play their marquee game at the arena in front of such a healthy crowd, and the potential that suggests there is, they remain cautious.

“We want to be a part of it, we are fully behind the vision, we just need to make sure everything stacks up for us,” Dan Busfield, Rhinos Netball’s managing director, told The Yorkshire Post.

“We’ve applied, but there are still things as a wider organisation that we need clarity on. There’s elements around the delivery model, matchdays, venues, facilities that we need to weigh up around our commercial sponsorship and partners, plus what the central contributions form England Netball and the new Super League will be.

“So even if we do get the nod, then we’ve still got some decisions to be made, we need to make sure it’s right for the organisation.”

As ever in sport, money plays a key part: is it financially viable?

Broadcast deals which are shared with clubs are worth billions in football, but in minority sports like netball just a fraction of that.

Netball Super League – which this year doesn’t have a headline sponsor – has a three-year deal with Sky Sports to show one game per week on its free-to-air YouTube channel, and a two-year deal with the BBC, both of which were signed before the start of this season.

For a club like Leeds which has a funding model built around commercial partnerships, that is a significant factor going forward.

As is a permanent venue. Busfield accepts the fact Rhinos do not have a home in their city could count against them when England Netball decide who to award franchises to, whether it is existing teams or new propositions. As well as Sunday’s one-off at the arena, they play at four other smaller venues in Sheffield, Huddersfield and Hull, usually to crowds of a little under 1,000.

Rhinos have been looking at ways to build their own arena in Leeds but will only proceed with that once they know if they’re a part of Netball 2.0 and what that looks like.

“Everything rides on this decision,” said Busfield. “What’s important to us is looking at the structure of the league and the games, depending on how many teams, how many home games.

“There’s going to be minimum operating standards, ideally England Netball will want to see a number of games played where there’s a capacity of a certain level, so we have to decide whether it’s in our interest to fund an arena or we try and use existing facilities within Leeds.

“It’s a positive that we get out across Yorkshire but, long term, we are Leeds Rhinos, we’d like to be in Leeds.”