New netball national league to kick off in April

A new domestic netball league will kick off in April next year. Photo by David Kerr.

A new domestic netball league will kick off in April next year.

Netball New Zealand today announced the details of their 2016 events calendar, including the long-awaited confirmation of a new National League.

The National Netball League (NNL) is a development competition that underpins the ANZ Championship in New Zealand. The 12-week competition will feature five teams - one from each zone - playing a double round robin. The majority of the games will be staged as double-headers alongside the weekend ANZ Championship fixtures, and televised on Sky Sport.

Netball NZ chief executive Hilary Poole said it is hoped the new league-based competition will better prepare young players for the demands of transtasman league netball.

"The National Netball League was a key outcome of our competitions review. It will provide the future stars of New Zealand netball with an opportunity to experience and test themselves in a high level competition week-in/week-out," said Poole.

Nelson's Saxton Stadium will host the Netball NZ U19 Champs in July, while Netball North Canterbury will host the largest event on the calendar - the Netball NZ U17 Champs - later that same month. This is the first time the Centre has hosted the prestigious event, which attracts over 1,500 people including players, coaches, umpires, volunteers and spectators.

The best New Zealand Secondary Schools teams will converge on Taita, Lower Hutt for the national championships. The event, held from Tuesday 4 - Friday 7 October, is the culmination of a number of regional qualifying events and showcases the best secondary school netballers in the country.

2016 Netball New Zealand domestic events
National Netball League
Location: Various
Dates: Sunday 10 April - Sunday 26 June

Netball NZ U17 Champs
Location: Netball North Canterbury, Rangiora
Dates: Monday 18 - Thursday 21 July, 2016

Netball NZ U19 Champs
Location: Saxton Stadium, Nelson
Dates: Monday 11 - Thursday 14 July, 2016

NZ Secondary School Netball Champs
Location: Walter Nash Stadium, Hutt Valley
Dates: Tuesday 4 - Friday 7 October, 2016