AUSSIE apples will be given the sporting spotlight as they take up the centre bib in a partnership with the national netball body.
Horticulture Innovation Australia (HIA) signed a lucrative three-year $600,000 contract with Netball Australia last week, securing exposure for the "Aussie Apples" brand at elite international matches and local games across the nation.
The new partnership marks the start of the 2017 Aussie Apples marketing campaign.
Parts of the deal include the supply of apples to players at all levels plus television advertising, high-profile netball player ambassador activities, website promotion and match signage.
Netball Australia acting CEO, Marne Fechner, said the partnership was a natural fit.
“We’re delighted to be partnering with Horticulture Innovation Australia through the Aussie Apples brand," Ms Fechner said.
"In this next evolution for netball, we have been seeking to create partnerships with brands who align with our values and vision.
“With its focus on healthy nutrition, and interest in supporting Australia’s leading women’s sport from the grassroots to the elite, we couldn’t be happier in welcoming Horticulture Innovation Australia to netball.”
HIA chief executive, John Lloyd, said with the rise and rise of netball in Australia and the healthy connection between apples and sport, the partnership made sense.
“Industry is very excited about this new venture, which is timely given the breadth of participation in netball across the nation and the increasing profile of women’s sport in Australia,” Mr Lloyd said.
According to Netball Australia, 1.2 million people play netball in Australia, and a further 250,000 people attend games each year.
And that number is soon to grow with Suncorp Super Netball which aired on prime-time free-to-air television last weekend.
Aussie Apples will also be promoted at the matches of the national team, the Australian Diamonds, which has won 11 out of 13 World Championships.
The Diamonds are dominating the world circuit with a recent victory in the Quad Series title in England.
It's not the first time Australian sport and sports identities have leant a hand to promote a particular fruit.
For more than a decade, rugby league star, Billy Slater, has been the pin-up boy for the Australian banana industry, with his Innisfail upbringing making him a natural pick.
Last year, AFL star, Patrick Dangerfield, also gave the banana industry a boost when he appeared on the national fishing program, iFish, sporting a bright yellow Australian Bananas t-shirt.
The 2011 Young Australian of the Year and world solo sailor, Jessica Watson, partnered with Australian Cherries to give them a profile push when her star was on the rise, while swimming sensation, Libby Trickett, gave her support to Australian Table Grapes' Munch-A-Bunch campaign for two years running in 2012 and 2013.