Since it was launched in 2008, the world's premier netball league, the ANZ Championship, has gone from strength to strength, pulling larger crowds, drawing increased media coverage and rewarding its players with higher salaries.
Revamp: Jo Harten of the Magic shoots for goal over Laura Geitz of the Firebirds in the ANZ Championship. Photo: Getty Images
Now the league is set for its biggest makeover yet, after a restructure of the competition was announced on Thursday.
Beginning next year, the competition will split into two national conferences ��� an Australian conference and a New Zealand conference ��� and will feature a new Challenge Trophy competition which will run concurrently with the regular season. The new structure will allow for an expanded six-team finals series, and the addition of a conference finals series adds another three games to the season.
ANZ Championship general manager Andy Crook said the new model was the product of more than 18 months of review processes, and designed to ensure "all teams and all fans have the opportunity to be involved in the ANZ Championships for as long as possible." While the standard draw will still exist, with each team playing 13 games across 14 rounds, the points collected by the teams will be reflected in two separate ladders for the conferences.
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"There was definitely a recognition that Australia and New Zealand were two completely different marketplaces," Crook said. "What we were finding under the old model was that teams were dropping out [of contention] after five to 10 rounds. We want to make sure through this competition that those teams and those franchises have longevity over the 14 weeks, and this is a way that will occur."
The new finals series will feature the top three teams from each conference progressing to the Australian and New Zealand conference finals. The first game will pit second against third in the conference elimination final and the winner takes on first in the conference final to decide the conference champion.
Then, the two finalists from each of the Australian and New Zealand conference finals will progress to the ANZ Championship semi-finals where the two conference champions will host the loser of the rival conference final for a berth in the ANZ Championship grand final.
Also part of the competition overhaul, the inaugural Challenge Trophy will be played alongside the regular season, featuring an innovative competition structure where trophy holders can only lose the silverware when defeated on their own turf. It is a concept similar to the Ranfurly Shield in New Zealand rugby.
The inaugural holders of the Challenge Trophy will be determined by a lotto-style ballot system leading up to next season.