LG Mystics sign Scarlett in netball homecoming

The LG Mystics have signed defender Anna Scarlett to join the team on the court in 2011.

Joining the LG Mystics franchise completes Scarlett’s recently announced homecoming to New Zealand netball. Following several seasons on the international beach volleyball circuit, the former Commonwealth Games gold medallist has also returned to the Silver Ferns, hoping to add to the 39 caps she earned in her previous tenure with the team.

LG Mystics CEO Mark Cameron says the team is excited to welcome Scarlett to its ranks ahead of the 2011 season, when the squad will again rally to take another step forward in the ANZ Championship.

“Anna is an experienced and talented netballer who has returned to the sport with passion and a hunger to succeed.

“Our aim for the upcoming season is to continue to build on the improvements we made this year, and welcoming Anna is a big step forward in achieving that goal.

“I am confident that her joining the LG Mystics will help build an even greater sense of determination within the team as we head into the 2011 season of the ANZ Championship,” says Cameron.

The Mystics showed a huge improvement this year and moved up the table from eighth place to fifth equal in the 2010 ANZ Championship, winning 7 of their 13 rounds.
The Mystics announced the signing of their newest player alongside the renewal of their relationship with long-time major sponsor Barfoot & Thompson at the real estate company’s Auckland city headquarters this afternoon.

“Barfoot & Thompson have supported the Mystics as a major sponsor since the inception of the ANZ Championship in 2008, and the team has represented us well,” says Barfoot & Thompson Managing Director Peter Thompson.

“The Mystics have continued to improve year on year, and we are eager to see the contribution Anna will make to the team next season.”

The full LG Mystics squad will be named in September, with training underway in November ahead of the first round of the 2011 ANZ Championship in mid-February.

Anna Scarlett debuted with the Silver Ferns in 2002, and went on to earn 39 caps for the Ferns and be part of the teams that won the 2003 World Championships and a 2006 Commonwealth Games Gold Medal. Missing out on selection for the 2007 World Champs, Scarlett opted for a change of direction focusing on qualifying for the 2012 Olympics with beach volleyball partner Susan Blundell. Despite her involvement in beach volleyball, she kept up netball appearances, playing for Auckland Waitakere in the National Provincial Championships. The 187cm tall defender is known for her feisty and gritty style, and her athleticism combined with long limbs is always a challenge for her opponents.

The LG Northern Mystics are the Greater Auckland regions sole representative netball team in the ANZ Championship, a trans-Tasman netball competition that was launched in April 2008.

Barfoot & Thompson knows Auckland best. It is the city’s leading real estate company, selling around one in three Auckland residential homes, significantly ahead of all other competitor brands.