Get ready for the 2010 ANZ Championship
- · Third season of trans-Tasman netball begins this weekend
- · Five Australian and five NZ teams to contest 14 home and away rounds, including Rivalry Round and Netball’s Festival of Stars
- · Introduction of two new competition rules and Premiership Flag
Trans-Tasman rivalry is set to re-ignite on the netball court this weekend, when the ANZ Championship returns for its third season of world-class netball action.
Since its inception in 2008, the ANZ Championship has captured the imagination of netball and sports lovers on both sides of the Tasman. Offering 65 games over the home and away season, followed by three intense weeks of the fiercely contested Finals Series, the competition is a true showcase of speed, skill, athleticism and teamwork.
Last season saw significant increases in both live attendance (224,000) and television audiences, with broadcast partners SKY Sport and Network Ten (TEN and ONE) delivering the competition to a solid 11.4 million viewers tuning in throughout the season.
It has been 34 long weeks since the Melbourne Vixens held aloft the 2009 ANZ Championship trophy, after defeating the Adelaide Thunderbirds before a sell-out crowd of almost 10,000 at Hisense Arena.
In a first for the competition, the Vixens will be presented with the 2009 Premiership Flag before they take on the Waikato / Bay of Plenty Magic at Hisense Arena on Monday night. This will be a great opportunity for the team and supporters to reflect on their achievement in 2009, before launching their campaign for back-to-back titles in 2010.
So what’s new for the 2010 season? Many of the teams have undergone significant changes to their lists, headed up by the New Zealand contingent. The LG Mystics have made the most dramatic transformation, introducing eight new players including Silver Ferns Maria Tutaia and Joline Henry.
The Queensland Firebirds and Mercury Energy Tactix have made six changes each, while last year’s final place getters, Haier Pulse, will be looking for significant improvement with five new players.
At the other end of the scale, and perhaps unsurprisingly, the Melbourne Vixens have made the fewest changes, and have retained all seven starting Premiership players.
As well as the new-look teams, the 2010 season will see the introduction of two rule modifications, following their successful trialling at the recent pre-season tournaments held in Queenstown and Sydney:
1. Coaching will be permitted from the sidelines during stoppages
2. A countdown clock will show the final 60 seconds of every quarter at the match
A third proposed rule to eliminate the whistle after goals was also trialled, however based on feedback from umpires, coaches and players, this will not be implemented for the 2010 ANZ Championship season.
The 2010 season will see the return of the popular Rivalry Round, which showcases the trans-Tasman element of the competition. Every game in Round 4 involves a trans-Tasman match-up, with the country scoring the highest number of goals across the round awarded the Rivalry Round Trophy.
Also back in 2010 is Netball’s Festival of Stars, which will see celebrities take to the court in a charity match prior to the Round 12 Vixens v Thunderbirds match-up at Hisense Arena.
2010 ANZ Championship - Round 1*
Saturday 21 March Northern Mystics v Adelaide Thunderbirds
2.20pm, The Trusts Stadium, Auckland
Sunday 22 March Southern Steel v West Coast Fever
6.50pm, Stadium Southland, Invercargill
Queensland Firebirds v NSW Swifts
1.50pm, Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre, Gold Coast
Monday 23 March Canterbury Tactix v Central Pulse
7.20pm, Westpac Arena, Christchurch
Melbourne Vixens v Waikato / Bay of Plenty Magic
7.05pm, Hisense Arena, Melbourne
* all times are local times
Every game of the 2010 ANZ Championship season will be broadcast by SKY Sport in New Zealand and Network Ten in Australia (through ONE and TEN.
For further information, please visit anz-championship.com.