New format for netball

Press, 12 March 1985, Page 38

New format for netball

. PA Wellington A six-team national club netball league, to be run along the lines of the Countrywide basketball competition, is to get under way on April 6. Anne Taylor, the president of the New Zealand Netball Association, said the league system would signal a major step forward for the sport. The first four placed teams from last year’s national club finals, played in one day in Auckland, will gain automatic entry into the league. Those teams are Carmel (North Shore), Verdettes (Hamilton), Sacred Heart (Christchurch) and Wellington East Old Girls (Wellington). The two other finalists last year were Gisborne’s High School Old Girls and University, of Dunedin. To gain entry into the netball league, these two sides will have to beat off challenges from some of New Zealand’s other strong club teams.

The league will run from April 6 to June 8 and will be played on a round robin basis. The two top finishers from the round robin will play a final. “There’s bound to be a few teething problems,” Mrs Taylor said. “But what we’ve tried to ensure is that the league is worked on a challenge system. We have started off with six teams this season, but would expect that number to grow in the future. “There will be prize money at stake and with the television coverage as well, obviously the league will rate high on our calendar. Mrs Taylor said there was no thought of the league replacing national provincial tournaments. “The tournament is traditionally the focal point for the season and that won’t change. We have so many netball provinces in New Zealand we need something like national tournament to bring themtogether.”