ANZ Championship to recognise future netball stars

The ANZ Championship today announced the MARS Red Best Young Player Award, a new award which will recognise emerging stars in the world’s leading inter-country netball league.

One nominee will be announced during each of the five remaining home and away rounds of the 2010 season, with the inaugural winner to be revealed during the ANZ Championship Grand Final presentation ceremony in July.

To be eligible for MARS Red Best Young Player nomination, players must be under 26 years of age as at 1 January of that year, must not have played more than five games in total across any previous ANZ Championship season, and must not have represented their country in more than five test matches.

In 2010, one nominee will be announced during each of the final five home and away rounds. A panel of experts including current national selectors and former national players will then cast their votes, with the winner to be announced at the ANZ Championship Grand Final.

ANZ Championship General Manager Anthony Everard said, “The introduction of the MARS Red Best Young Player is an exciting and logical part of the evolution of the ANZ Championship.

“The identification and development of new talent is integral to the growth of the competition. The ANZ Championship has been pioneered with established stars such as Sharelle McMahon (Melbourne Vixens), Catherine Cox (NSW Swifts), Irene van Dyk (First Windows Waikato / Bay of Plenty Magic) and Temepara George (LG Mystics),” Everard said.

“Now in our third year, we’re starting to see some exciting new talent come through the ranks, and we hope that the new MARS Red Best Young Player will become a highly sought after, prestigious award as the competition continues to develop”, he said.

Since its inception in 2008, the ANZ Championship has rapidly established itself as a world-class netball competition, consistently attracting leading players from the world’s leading netball nations to join the best talent from Australia and New Zealand.

The MARS Red Best Young Player joins the Most Valuable Player and Grand Final Player of the Match as an official ANZ Championship Award. Further details, including eligibility and selection criteria, are available at anz-championship.com.

2010 ANZ Championship – don’t miss a minute of the hottest game in town!
You can catch every minute of the ANZ Championship action on Network Ten (TEN and ONE) in Australia and SKY Sport in New Zealand.

In Australia, ONE screen all ANZ Championship games LIVE or NEAR LIVE, subject to programming commitments. Plus, TEN screen every Sunday afternoon game live wherever possible, delivering the ANZ Championship to audiences across Australia.

In New Zealand, SKY Sport broadcast every game of the ANZ Championship LIVE. SKY Sport also screen On Court throughout the ANZ Championship season, a dedicated netball show bringing you all the latest news on your favourite teams and players. You can catch On Court on SKY Sport 1, every Wednesday from 7.30pm.

Check your local programming guide for details.