The Co-operative World Netball Series is supported by the International Federation of Netball Associations (IFNA), the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), Manchester City Council, England Netball, UK Sport, Gilbert and MEN Media.

The Co-operative World Netball Series is a fantastic opportunity for all partners to come together to further showcase netball to the world as the best teams come together from across the globe. Whilst hosting The Co-operative World Netball Series in the great sporting city of Manchester, all partners are committed to making the event a huge success whilst ensuring residents and communities benefit from the opportunities it will create.
This, along with the increased activity in the netball calendar, will inject new life into the sport in this new competition played by strong, confident and inspirational woman. We hope the sport will motivate and empower young people to become more active worldwide.
Lastly, on behalf of all the partners, we are excited to be supporting this new, fast paced version of netball. A key Commonwealth Games sport, this initiative will be one of the most important events on the international netball calendar.

A Shock Absorber sports bra is an essential piece of kit for sports women.

Through extensive research, Shock Absorber is at the forefront of sports bra innovation and is continually developing new and innovative sport bras.  The Shock Absorber range is designed to provide optimum support and comfort during sport, which ensures a focused performance for any sportswoman.

Professional sports women seek absolute support for their sport and Shock Absorber is proud to be the official sports bra supplier to the England’s Senior, Under 21 and Under 19 Netball teams.

Manchester is proud to have been voted the world's leading Sport City in 2008, recognition for the city's commitment to delivering a comprehensive sporting programme that connects major events to community sport, elite performance, facility development, volunteering, training and education.

The Co-operative World Netball Series is one of a number of major events being hosted in Manchester in 2009 which, whilst supporting the objectives of our key national and regional partners, will continue to provide the city and its residents with opportunities to achieve their full potential through sport.

The NWDA leads the economic development and regeneration of England's Northwest and is responsible for:

• Supporting business growth and encouraging investment
• Matching skills provision to employer needs
• Creating the conditions for economic growth
• Connecting the region through effective transport and communication infrastructure
• Promoting the region’s outstanding quality of life

As part of its work to support these objectives, the NWDA works with partners to secure world-class events,which are distinctive and capable of attracting large numbers of visitors from outside the region and which significantly enhance the profile of the region.

The Co-operative World Netball Series has been part funded by UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded World Class
Events Programme, which aims to secure events of strategic importance that deliver a range of lasting
benefits.

These include economic, social and cultural benefits as well as improving sporting performance by home
athletes, encouraging participation and leaving a legacy of facilities and development initiatives. Over
120 sporting events have been staged in the UK through the programme since 1997.

IFNA is the sole, recognised, international governing body for netball, affiliated to the General Association of International  Sports Federations, the International World Games Association and the Association of
Recognised Sports Federations, which receives funding from the International Olympic Committee.

Currently, over 60 National Netball Associations are affiliated to IFNA, grouped into 5 Regions - Africa, Asia, Americas, Europe and Oceania - each with a respective Regional Federation. Regional Federations are an integral part of the global governance structure and assist in the implementation of IFNA polices and
development of the sport in respective regions.

England Netball is the National Governing Body responsible for the organisation and promotion of Netball
in England. It is a company limited by guarantee and comprises of approximately 3,000 Clubs and some 68,000 affiliated members.

The Association is governed by a voluntary Board of 11 people including the Chief Executive Officer, seven
of who are elected by the Membership and three appointed for their specialised expertise. The Chief Executive reports to the Board and is responsible, with the professional staff, for the implementation of policy and the management of the Association. The game is largely driven by the efforts of many volunteers operating at a national, regional, county and community level.

Established in 1823, Gilbert has over 180 years experience in producing balls.  Gilbert are proud to be
the official and exclusive ball supplier to IFNA as well as New Zealand, Australia, Jamaica, South Africa
Scotland Wales, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, Malawi Nigeria and USA Netball.

However, the Gilbert Netball range now caters for much more than just Balls. Our range of teamwear,
clothing and equipment is endorsed by international players and netball teams of all levels worldwide;
making Gilbert one of the few brands that can cater for all the sport’s requirements. Gilbert clothing collection
offers a combination of high performance fabrics with a comfortable and functional fit to meet a player’s match and training requirements at every level. We are official suppliers to many leading teams including Jamaica, Wales, Barbados, Trinidad Tobago; Celtic  Dragons;  Brunel Hurricanes and Northern Thunder Superleague teams.Netball is a performance sport so we ensure that all Gilbert products are truly  “Created 2 Perform.

The Manchester Evening News (MEN) is one of the UK's biggest newspaper in terms of readership.  It
is the clear market leader in Greater Manchester. The MEN has led the way for the UK regional press industry with a series if innovative changes to the paper and its news gathering operation. The MEN's ground breaking
hybrid distribution model - part-paid, part-free - has seen the number of readers increase substantially since
its launch in 2006, cementing the paper as "the voice of Manchester". MEN Media also operates the regional industry's first fully converged newsdesk, which acts as a multimedia hub, disseminating content through print, on-line, TV and radio.

Matalan retail is delighted to be a proud partner of The Co-operative World Netball Series 2009. With approximately 75% of our customer base being female it is great to be involved in a female focused sport. Matalan retails through 203 national stores bringing quality product at the very best price. Matalan’s product range provides a comprehensive selection of quality homewares, ladies, men’s and children’s clothing, footwear and accessories.

Monkhouse Intersport started in 1938 by the current Managing Director, Peter Monkhouses, late Grandfather who was a keen sportsman and over the intervening 71 years we have kept to the core principals of good advice and being a proper sports retailer. They now trade from 20 sites across both the Sports and Schoolwear sides of the business over the North of England.
 
In the last 10 years they have developed a real niche for retailing at major National or International events, such as The Aegon International Tennis, Hi-Tec World Squash Championships, British Open Squash, National Badminton and Squash Championships, European Hockey Championships etc. Alongside this they have a very successful web business for both Sports and Schoolwear at  www.monkhouse.com. They strive and look forward  to helping to make this a truly superb event for all.

Monkhouse Intersport has launched its online retail store to sell exclusive merchandise for The Co-operative World Netball Series.
Click here to pre order your official event memorabilia.