The Southern Steel netball team is hosting a pre-season tournament, which starts this morning in the Queenstown Events Centre, giving Wakatipu netball fans the chance to watch their heroines playing a selection of top New Zealand and Australian teams.
The tournament also features the New South Wales Swifts, the winner of last year's ANZ Championship, and the Northern Mystics, Central Pulse and Australian Institute of Sport.
While for the players, it will be a warm-up for the transtasman ANZ Championship in April, Southern Steel media officer Kate Buchanan said it would also be a good opportunity to watch world-class netball between teams with past and present world champions.
The big match will be tomorrow night, when the Steel goes head-to-head with the NSW Swifts.
A strong Southern Steel team, featuring five present and two previous Silver Ferns, could give the reigning champions something to think about, Buchanan said.
The calibre of players at the tournament was very high, which would make it a truly transtasman clash.
She said the venue was ideal - the Queenstown Events Centre was an "intimate environment", which would build a lot of energy and enthusiasm.
The players were excited about being in Queenstown, with many teams staying after the tournament finished on Sunday to take in the sights.
•The tournament starts today at 10am, with the Southern Steel playing the New South Wales Swifts.
Entry is $5 a day for the day matches; and tomorrow's exhibition match, again between the Steel and the Swifts, is $10 for adults and $5 for children.
