ANZ Championships set for 2017 restructuring

Reports suggest that this season’s ANZ Championship will be the last before a major restructuring of Australasia’s major netball competition in 2017.

The New Zealand Herald has reported that teams from New Zealand and Australia will play in separate divisions with a trans-Tasman component to potentially see top sides from each countries will meet in a play-off style finals series at the end of the season.

Australian teams have won seven of the last eight championships with the exception being when the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic won the 2012 title.

Netball Australia announced plans late last year that they were considering introducing three more Australian teams to the league in 2017.

Speaking to the NZ Herald, Netball New Zealand Chief Executive Hilary Poole agreed that moving to separate competitions was “one of a number of options” being considered, adding “if we went down that path, we would contemplate a sixth team in New Zealand.

“We think a six-team competition in terms of the formats would work much better for us here. It’s too early to tell where that team might be based and what the composition of that team might be.

“But within that we’re committed to having a trans-Tasman component – (whether) that be before, during or after (the regular season), that’s still to be determined.”

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