The Melbourne Vixens are pleased to announce a new partnership with sports tech company Playbk Sports, paving the way for a new era of content-led digital engagement for fans.
The partnership will initially focus on bringing the established Train Like a Vixen program onto the devices of netball participants across Victoria, with the longer-term goal of bringing the Vixens brand to new markets through a series of unique content experiences and online learning courses.
The Train Like a Vixen program has been delivered with great success for a number of years, engaging young netballers through a full-day clinic at the Vixens’ training base in Parkville. The digital version will complement this experience and expose more young Victorians to the skills and mindset of their favourite Vixens stars, all from the comfort and convenience of their home or local courts.
“Technology allows us to scale our reach as an organisation – releasing a digital version of Train Like a Vixen in partnership with Playbk Sports will allow us to service a wider range of participants across Victoria and beyond,”
Netball Victoria CEO Andrea Pearman
“We want to share the best of all things Melbourne Vixens with our fans and participants, and this product will give them unprecedented access to our players, with the goal of improving their performance.
“We need to meet young people where they are – in the current landscape, this means online. By leveraging digital technology, we can make it easier for fans to get closer to their favourite players and encourage them to attend matches and support these athletes in person.
“This approach signals a new era for elite netball teams. We’re excited to pioneer the use of technology and digital content to showcase the best of our sport, increasing our reach and community impact.”
Playbk Sports co-founder Damian Hecker has supported the Vixens through the planning stages of the partnership and senses the Vixens are one of the first professional teams to unlock the power of content, technology, and brand in an ever-changing landscape for new fans and revenue streams.
“The Vixens realise that there is untapped potential to repurpose assets and programs in an economical way to reach more fans,”
Playbk Sports Co-founder Damian Hecker
“Train Like a Vixen already exists, and our team will simply help organise the content in a way that will be a vibrant online learning experience for young netballers.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg though when we look at the great knowledge and stories that sit within the Vixens organisation – from coaches and players, to staff and alumni – there is rich content the netball and wider community will benefit from. Our goal is to identify and share this content in a way that grows the Vixens brand to reach more fans and generate new revenue streams.”
Importantly, the Vixens’ technology ecosystem and content is owned entirely by the organisation, providing the flexibility to deliver on state-based strategic objectives, be more agile with content curation and release, and explore sponsorship options with new and existing commercial partners.
Train Like a Vixen will be ready for release as a digital offering in April 2023, with more content expected to be released later in the year.
End.
For media enquiries, please contact Playbk Sports, Co-founder, Jon Shepherd on [email protected]
About Melbourne Vixens
The Melbourne Vixens is Netball Victoria’s representative team competing in Australia’s national netball competition, Suncorp Super Netball.
The Vixens franchise was formed in 2007 during the establishment of a new Trans-Tasman competition, and first competed in the inaugural ANZ Championship season in 2008.
The club was an amalgamation of the two existing Victorian teams at the time – the Melbourne Phoenix and Melbourne Kestrels.
Across the ANZ Championship’s nine-year history the Vixens claimed two premierships, in 2009 and 2014.
About Playbk Sports
Every team needs a playbook.
Playbk Sports makes delivering online learning content simple and effective with dynamic technology, immersive experiences and evergreen material that turns fan avidity into revenue.
Playbk Sports works with your organisation by harnessing your logo, players, coaches, stadia, training facilities and team administrators and harnesses the power of those ‘brands’ or assets to create global fan avidity and strategic value your organisation can rely on in sustainable ways.
We create experiences that help sport organisations give their worldwide fans what they want – closer access to the sports they love.
