SINGAPORE – Netball Singapore’s efforts to promote the sport to a wider audience have received a boost, thanks to a collaboration with the Football Association of Singapore (FAS).

Netball Singapore will be tapping the FAS’ livestreaming platform to broadcast the M1 Netball Super League (NSL) semi-final and finals matches online next month.

Established in 2000, the NSL features the Republic’s elite netball players, and top players are recruited for the national squad at the end of each season. This year’s edition, which started earlier this month, features six teams.

According to Netball Singapore, NSL matches usually draw crowds of around 300, with the finals attracting around 1,500 people.

Last month, the FAS started online live streaming of select S.League matches under the Live Streaming Project, which is part of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President’s Initiatives Programme to help member associations strengthen the game in their respective countries.

Streaming takes place on the website of video streaming specialists mycujoo, AFC’s partner for the projects, where the FAS has a dedicated channel (mycujoo.tv/ch/320).

The first football game livestreamed was the Great Eastern Community Shield match between Albirex Niigata and Tampines Rovers on Feb 26. It drew 23,819 viewers online, more than the 15,480 fans who turned out at the National Stadium to watch the season opener.

Since then, the FAS has livestreamed five more S.League matches and two international matches played by its national women’s team.

Total viewership on the FAS mycujoo platform is currently pegged at 127,013.

The FAS will now use the mycujoo platform to stream the NSL games, which will take place on April 22, 23 and 29 at Toa Payoh Sports Hall. It is understood that Netball Singapore will not need to bear any costs for livestreaming.

Its chief executive officer, Cyrus Medora, said he was “very glad” that the FAS is open to assisting its fellow national sports associations (NSAs).

He added that the NSL matches are likely to be streamed through the platform to Netball Singapore’s Facebook page or its YouTube channel.

“In the past, during S.League games (a few years ago), they (FAS) televised our advertisements for the (annual) Nations Cup (tournament) during the breaks, and we reciprocated during the Nations Cup,” he told TODAY.

“This will make netball much more accessible to many more netball fans out there, especially those who might not be able to make it down to watch in person. I hope this is the start (of more collaborations in future).”

FAS assistant marketing director Rikram Jit Singh told TODAY that he is part of a group of officials from various NSAs who meet up “every few months” to update one another on their respective sports and also to share ideas.

“It is through this network that the idea of streaming the Singapore netball league matches online to gather more Singapore fans to watch the sport came to mind,” he said.

Rikram hopes local NSAs can find more ways to partner one another and lift Singapore sport.

“This is a good collaboration that we as Team Singapore should try and do more of,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter which sport it is, as long as we all work towards the objective of bringing more and more Singaporeans to support our athletes.

“I’d love to see the day when these collaborations become a norm and collectively, we get more people to watch more local sport.”

*More information on the NSL at http://www.netball.org.sg/netball-events/item/1160-m1-nsl-2017. Admission to matches is free*