KEY POINTS:
The last time Auckland hosted the world netball championships, the now president of world netball Molly Rhone stood on Mt Eden's Windmill Road courts kitted out in a netball skirt, with tights and a pair of socks over the top.
The year was 1975 and Rhone was playing
wing attack for Jamaica who finished fifth.
"I was so cold I had to keep my hands in my pockets," said Rhone who was in Auckland yesterday for the announcement of the venue for this year's world championships.
"It was terribly cold but it was fun."
Rhone attended the next world championships New Zealand hosted in Christchurch in 1999 as president of Jamaica Netball.
"That championship set a new bar for netball championships. I remember that Jamaica was hosting it next [in 2003] and all we were saying was can anyone better the championship in Christchurch?
"It was such a well organised championship it was delightful.
"We are really happy that it is here in New Zealand again. We are so grateful to New Zealand for coming in and assisting the International Federation [IFNA] when we were going through a crisis."
During the netball championships in November IFNA will hold a meeting at which a new board will be elected, the findings of the rules review will be revealed and the two cities vying for the 2011 world championships (Melbourne and Singapore) will make presentations.
On her way to Auckland Rhone visited both cities.
Melbourne has already proven its hosting abilities, during last year's Commonwealth Games, but Singapore could be an appealing option in terms of increasing the game's prominence globally. Singapore last hosted the event in 1983.
"They have the facilities, they have a lovely stadium," Rhone said.
The rules of the game are reviewed every eight years.
In their submission Netball NZ has called for the introduction of official timeouts, a reduction in injury breaks, the allowing of penalty passes to be taken before the offending player is back alongside, letting teams shoot for goal when the opposition is offside in the circle, speeding up the time between scoring and centre pass-off by allowing the centre to take the pass-off with only one foot in the centre circle and better acknowledgment of the discipline system through the use of cards.
Rhone said she was not expecting many if any changes to come out of the review.
