VNL club pleads for sponsor support

GEELONG’S premier netball club is calling for support as they approach the start of the season without sponsorship.

The Cougars are Geelong’s highest level netball club, competing in the Victorian Netball League, just one level below the national competition.

But despite being an established pathway for Super Netball players and boasting the best players in the region, they have not secured a single sponsor for the 2026 season.

Club coordinator Vicki O’Neill said running the semi-professional club is no cheap undertaking.

The club has four teams across their program, and without the support of sponsors, they will rely on fundraising to cover their costs.

“Sponsorships don’t just reduce fees for the players, it helps us manage the whole club,” O’Neill said.

“Our fees are huge for court venue hire and gym sessions for the girls to do strength and conditioning. Training facilities cost upwards of $18,000. We need to pay our coaches too. We need sponsorship just to be able to function.”

O’Neill said the exposure businesses would get through livestreaming and social media alone should make supporting the club appealing to any business.

Just 12 clubs are licensed to compete in the Victorian Netball League. Geelong is one of two regional clubs in the state’s west, alongside Bendigo.

Players from as far as Warrnambool play for the Cougars.

O’Neill said she could not fathom that the club was just weeks out from its first game with no locked-in support.

“You look at the size of Geelong and surrounding areas – we’ve got several girls who come down from Warrnambool way – when you look at the map for how far spread our players come from, you think surely to God somebody has a business within that area that is happy to support this club.”

Desperate to ensure the club can continue to produce the region’s next batch of Super Netball players, O’Neill said the club was open to varying level of support, from major sponsorship opportunities to individual player supports.

O’Neill encouraged businesses to approach the club’s sponsorship coordinator if they wish to support the Cougars in the 2026 season and beyond.

Geelong Cougars begin their 2026 VNL campaign on Wednesday, 11 March against Melbourne University.