This development will help to develop netball in Scotland and shows how the first steps are already being taken to ensure a sporting legacy for the nation after 2014.
A near £200,000 cash injection - over the next three years - will pave the way for the first team from Scotland to take part in the Netball UK Superleague. A Scottish Superleague franchise, based in Glasgow, would be a massive boost for the sport, which is already the most popular team sport for girls and women in both Glasgow and Scotland. The funding was approved at Glasgow City Council's Executive Committee on 8 February.
The Netball UK Superleague is an ambitious development, which in 2006/07 saw 23 televised matches on Sky TV, growing audiences to more than 2.5 million.
Councillor Archie Graham, the Council's Commonwealth Games spokesman, said: "By winning the Games, we have a real opportunity to encourage sport not only at the grass roots, but at a competitive level where we can see home-grown talent challenging for medals in 2014. This investment will take the stars of the future to the next level and by joining the Superleague, we can grow audiences for the sport as we head toward hosting the Games and filling our venues to capacity. Beyond the Games, the growth of sport as a result of investment such as this will provide a fantastic legacy, benefiting future generations of Scots."
Culture and Sport Glasgow will submit the bid for entry to the Superleague, with support from the Glasgow Netball Association, Netball Scotland and the University of Glasgow.
In agreement with Netball Scotland, the team entering the league will be mostly filled by members of the Scottish National Squad - 9 of last year's 12 players in the World Championship Squad were either Glasgow-based or played with Glasgow clubs.
This will ensure that the Superleague team and Scotland's National team programmes are fully integrated, increasing our nation's chances of qualification in Delhi in 2010 and a fighting chance to challenge for medals in 2014.
Except for on home soil, the Scotland netball team has never qualified for any previous Commonwealth Games events, despite 3/4 of the city's primary schools and almost 2/3 of secondary schools being actively involved in the sport.
There are currently 15 senior clubs associated with the Glasgow Netball Association and a national development programme, implemented by Netball Scotland, the sport's governing body, will target schools, clubs and other local authorities to improve grassroot participation in the sport.
Malawi’s strong links to Scotland will also be strengthened through netball. Glasgow is inviting some of the world's best netball players to Scotland, to give our national team a few pointers as we strike for gold in 2014. Scotland's national team is currently ranked 14 in the world, trailing behind the likes of the Cook Islands, Samoa and Fiji.
Malawi's team is only just behind the major nations of Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica and England in fifth place in the world team ratings. Netball is the most popular game among girls and women in the impoverished African nation. In some rural areas, which have never seen a regulation ball, communities improvise and use papier-mache balls to indulge their passion for the sport.
The Scottish National Team is currently preparing for the European Netball Championships, which will be held at the Kelvin Hall later this month. The Council has approved funding of £10,000 to underwrite the cost of a visit by the Malawi netball team, allowing a test match between the two nations and a chance for the African side to impart some of their expertise on our up-and-coming stars.
Councillor Archie Graham, said: "Our links with Malawi are well known and Glasgow has been a great friend to our African cousins in recent years. But we are keen to host some of the finest netball players in the world and learn from them as we move toward challenging for medals in 2014. We are announcing significant investment in what is Scotland's most popular team sport among women and girls. I'm confident that with the help of our African friends and our commitment to the sport, that Scotland will quickly move up the world ranks. This is an opportunity for Glasgow and Scotland to give something back to the Commonwealth, as promised in our bid for 2014."