Super Netball confirms 2024 fixtures

With the long-running dispute between the sport’s elite players and Netball Australia having been resolved this week, the 2024 fixtures list for the Suncorp Super Netball League has been released today.

Featuring a new team - the Melbourne Mavericks - and a new-look First Nations Round, the eighth edition of the competition will return as of Saturday 13th April with the Giants taking on West Coast Fever, before reigning premiers the Adelaide Thunderbirds begin their title defence against the Queensland Firebirds.

New team the Mavericks will play their first-ever league match against city rivals the Vixens the following Sunday, before Sunshine Coast Lightning close out the opening round against the NSW Swifts.

The 14-round home-and-away season will be followed by a three-week finals series starting on 20th July followed by the grand final on Saturday 3rd August 3 at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

The release of the 2024 fixture list had been delayed as a result of players across the League not having been paid since September and not being in a position to sign new contracts until the new three-year Collective Player Agreement (CPA) was agreed on Wednesday.

Under the new deal, players will receive an immediate 11 per cent wage rise, back-dated to 1st October, with the average salary rising to $89,221.

Netball Australia and the players will also enter into a landmark sponsorship revenue sharing partnership as part of the deal.

Commenting as the fixtures were released, Netball Australia spokesman Adam Richardson advised “with some of the largest crowds to date in the 2023 season, we are thrilled to announce a fixture that will build on that success and break even more records in 2024.

“We are also excited to see how the introduction of the Super Netball League’s newest team, the Melbourne Mavericks, will shake things up and continue to build in the history of the world’s best netball league.”

First Nations Round will be held across two weeks - to coincide with National Reconciliation Week in round seven and NAIDOC Week in round 13.

Inclusion Round, introduced in 2023 to encourage clubs to champion diversity, will take place in round four, showcasing national inclusion causes championed by each club.

Image: Super Netball at Melbourne's John Cain Arena. Credit: Shutterstock.