Next year's trans-Tasman netball league will be condensed by
three weeks to allow players more time to prepare for the
world championship at Singapore in July.
The 10-team league will again feature 65 round robin matches
followed by a four-match finals series, but in a change from
the previous three years the regular season will span just 12
weeks, not 15, to accommodate the world championship.
Three "double" rounds, in which six, seven or eight matches
will be played rather than four or five, will see some teams
play two matches over the weekend, while bye rounds have been
removed and Thursday night matches have been introduced to
help pick up the slack.
All Australian and New Zealand teams will again play the four
other teams from their respective countries twice - once at
home and once away - and each team from the other side of the
Tasman once, either home or away.
The league's general manager, Anthony Everard, today said
that scheduling the season had posed some challenges because
of the world championship.
"After working through numerous scenarios, we're confident
that we have developed a draw which maintains the integrity
of the competition, and will deliver another exciting
spectacle for fans," he said.
The competition, which starts on February 13 and culminates
with the grand final on May 22 or 23, features two "marquee"
matches on the opening weekend, with this year's minor
premiers New South Wales Swifts hosting champions Adelaide
Thunderbirds in Sydney and Northern Mystics playing Southern
Steel in Auckland.
The final squad lists will be released at the end of this
month.
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