| Current season or competition: 2010 ANZ Championship season |
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 ANZ Championship logo (from 2010) |
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| Sport | Netball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 |
| Inaugural season | 2008 |
| No. of teams | 10 |
| Country(ies) |  Australia New Zealand |
| Most recent champion(s) | Melbourne Vixens |
| TV partner(s) | One HD (Australia, all games) Network Ten (Australia, one game a week) SKY Sports (New Zealand, live) TVNZ (New Zealand, delayed) |
| Official website | anz-championship.com |
The ANZ Championship is the premier netball league in Australasia. The competition is held annually between April and July, comprising 69 matches played over 17 weeks. It is contested between five teams each from Australia and New Zealand. The competition is administered by Trans Tasman Netball League, which was formed as a joint venture by the netball governing bodies of both countries. ANZ Bank have been naming sponsors of the competition since its inaugural season.
The ANZ Championship was launched in 2008 as a successor to the Commonwealth Bank Trophy in Australia and the National Bank Cup in New Zealand, both of which were retired after 2007. The ANZ Championship saw netball become a semi-professional sport in both countries, with increased media coverage and player salaries. The current champions are the Melbourne Vixens, who defeated the Adelaide Thunderbirds in the grand final of the 2009 season.
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Netball is the most popular team sport for women in Australia and New Zealand in terms of player participation,[1][2] with the sport having been established in both countries for more than a century. Both countries started national competitions in the 1920s, and by the close of the 20th century had started their own separate elite competitions. The National Netball League (later the Commonwealth Bank Trophy) was started in Australia in 1997, while a revamped Coca-Cola Cup (later the National Bank Cup) commenced in New Zealand the following year. These competitions were designed to bring a higher profile to the sport in their respective country, which despite strong local-level participation was still largely amateur.
In this respect, these competitions had mixed results. Both competitions produced games of greater intensity, saw increased spectator attendance, and with televised matches achieved a somewhat higher profile for the sport (more so in New Zealand). Nevertheless, they still lagged behind the professional competitions of male-dominated sports, such as the Super 14, in terms of public interest, sponsorship, media coverage and player salaries. Both the Commonwealth Bank Trophy and the National Bank Cup played their last season in 2007. In its eleven-year run, the CBT was dominated by the Sydney Swifts and the Melbourne Phoenix, while the NBC was dominated by the Southern Sting. Before the start of their 2007 seasons, Netball Australia and Netball New Zealand jointly announced that both competitions would play their final seasons that year, after which one new competition would replace them both, commencing in 2008.
From the start, it was envisioned that five teams from each country would compete in the new competition. This required a reduction from the eight teams that were present in each of the previous competitions.
The deadline for expressions of interests for Australian franchises was 10 April 2007.[3] In March 2007, Netball Australia chief executive Kate Palmer said the preferred model was for one team each from New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and Western Australia.[4] In April this was confirmed as the composition of the league's Australian teams. Netball New South Wales boss Caroline Campbell said that she was disappointed that the Sydney Swifts and the Hunter Jaegers would have to merge.[5] Netball Victoria president Jenny Sanchez said that she had an open mind about whether Victoria would enter one of the two existing teams or a new franchise,[4] but by May 2007, the organisation had chosen to enter a single merged team.[6] Netball ACT also bid for a franchise,[7] but were unsuccessful.[6]
For New Zealand franchises, 10 April was also the deadline set for expressions of interest, with a confirmation date of 23 April announced.[8] Early in the selection process, Netball New Zealand chairman Don Mackinnon said there would be three franchises from the North Island and two from the South Island.[8] Five proposed New Zealand teams for the competition – three from the North Island, two from the South Island – were confirmed by the end of April, and approved in early May.[9]
The inaugural championship began on 5 April 2008, with the Central Pulse hosting to the Melbourne Vixens in Wellington. After fourteen weeks of round-robin matches, the Magic emerged as minor premiers. The Swifts, Thunderbirds and Vixens also progressed to the finals stage. The Swifts defeated the Magic in the major semi-final, while the Thunderbirds beat the Vixens in the minor semi-final. The preliminary final saw the Magic defeat the Thunderbirds to advance to the grand final. On 28 July 2008, the New South Wales Swifts hosted the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in the inaugural grand final, held at Acer Arena in Sydney. A near world-record netball crowd of 12,000 spectators watched the Swifts defeat the Magic 65–56 to claim the inaugural ANZ Championship.
During the 2008 season, Australian teams generally performed better than their New Zealand counterparts. The Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic were the only New Zealand team to make the finals, with the other New Zealand teams occupying four of the bottom five places on the competition ladder. Furthermore, no New Zealand team managed to win a single match in Australia, although Australian teams had some success playing in New Zealand. Most notably, the Wellington-based Central Pulse failed to win a single game. Media reports in New Zealand attributed the relative lack of success for New Zealand teams to a lack of player depth, restrictions on training hours, and delays in allowing franchises to finalise player selections.[10][11]
All ten teams returned for the 2009 season. Despite some concerns over the competition format, subsequent seasons have been held a similar format to the inaugural competition.[12] The 2009 season saw New Zealand teams continue to struggle in Australia. Nevertheless, two New Zealand teams qualified for the finals. The Melbourne Vixens emerged as minor premiers in 2009, and went on to defeat the Thunderbirds in the grand final by 54–46 to claim the 2009 ANZ Championship trophy.
A review of competition rules was conducted after the 2009 season. While the format of the competition remained unchanged, several rule changes were announced. To aid the struggling Central Pulse, who finished 10th in the first two seasons, teams that finish in the bottom two placings of the competition ladder were granted the right to use two import or non-eligible players, and were also made eligible for a NZ$25,000 financial assistance grant.[13] Starting from 2010, two modifications of the international rules will be implemented in the ANZ Championship.[14]
Ten teams were formed for the inaugural season in 2008, five each from Australia and New Zealand. All ten teams remain in the competition. Each of the ten teams represents long-established regional netball organisations. The Australian teams represent the five largest Australian states, while the five New Zealand teams represent groupings of adjacent regions.
All but one of the teams in the final year of the Commonwealth Bank Trophy and National Bank Cup are represented in the new league, either in their previous form with a new name, or as part of a merged entity. The exception is the AIS Canberra Darters, who competed in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy representing the Australian Institute of Sport and the Australian Capital Territory, but not in the ANZ Championship. Additionally, no team represents the Australian netball regions of Tasmania or the Northern Territory.
The ANZ Championship operates as a 17-week tournament with 69 matches from April to July. Prior to the opening match, pre-season tournaments are held in Australia and New Zealand. The official pre-season tournament is the Netball Cup (formerly the SOPA Cup), which is held in Sydney over three days in the month leading up to the regular season.
Each season starts with a 14-week round-robin stage, followed by a 3-week finals series. In the initial round-robin stage, each team plays other teams from their own country twice, and teams from the other country once. Each team plays at least six home games, and also has one bye, some time during Rounds 5–9. Teams accumulate points during the round-robin stage: 2 points are awarded for each match won, while no points are earned for matches lost; competition rules do not generally allow for draws. Teams are ranked according to points accumulated, with the team that has the most points ranked highest, and so on; teams with equal competition points are subsequently sorted by goal percentage (calculated as the total number of goals scored during the competition divided by the total number of goals conceded, all multiplied by 100), accurate to two decimal places.[15]
The four highest-ranked teams at the end of the round-robin phase progress to the finals series; other teams are eliminated from the competition for that season. The finals series is played over three weeks using a Page-McIntyre System. The 1st-ranked team from the round-robin phase hosts the 2nd-ranked team in the major semi-final; 3rd hosts 4th in the minor semi-final, the loser of which is eliminated. The loser of the major semi-final hosts the winner of the minor semi-final in the preliminary final. The grand final is contested between the winner of the major semi-final and the winner of the preliminary final, with the former team as hosts.[15]
Matches are played under international netball rules. From 2010, one exception to the international rules will apply in the ANZ Championship, allowing coaches to talk with players during time stoppages. Another new feature of the competition will see the game clock displaying the final 60 seconds of each quarter, where previously the clock was blank for that time.[16] In addition, matches that are tied at the end of four quarters continue into extra time until a winner emerges.[14]
The ANZ Championship is administered by Trans-Tasman Netball League (TTNL), established in 2007 as a joint venture between Netball Australia and Netball New Zealand, both of which have representatives in TTNL's six-member board. Individual franchises are managed by state (Australian) and regional (New Zealand) netballing bodies, although these organisations report to their respective national governing body. The Australian Netball Players Association and the New Zealand Netball Players Association represent players collectively in negotiations with TTNL regarding salaries and playing conditions.[17]
As with international teams, ANZ Championship teams comprise 12 players each, with seven starting players and five reserves. Within each team, New Zealand franchises are allowed up two "ineligible players", including one import player and one New Zealand citizen ineligible for the national netball team (e.g., a New Zealand citizen who has played for a different national team, in many cases the team of the player's familial country of origin), both of whom must be approved by Netball New Zealand. Australian franchises are allowed two ineligible players, either or both of whom can be an import player or an Australian citizen ineligible for the national team.[18] Starting from 2010, teams that finish in the bottom two placings of the competition ladder in two consecutive years are allowed two import or non-eligible players as of right.[13]
The ANZ Championship is a semi-professional competition. Players are paid wages substantially higher than in previous competitions, but also lower than that required for players to make a living solely from the sport, with most players required to hold part-time or full-time employment elsewhere. Franchises are each restricted to a NZ$300,000 salary cap from which player salaries are paid. Salary amounts vary among players, but each player receives a retainer of at least NZ$12,000 per season; high-profile players are expected to earn up to NZ$50,000.[19][20]
The effectiveness of the salary cap was called into question in 2009, when Queensland Firebirds coach Vicki Wilson publicly speculated that the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic, who had at least seven current or former Silver Ferns players, were not complying with the $300,000 salary cap, a claim that the Magic denied.[21] Teams are eligible for financial assistance grants if they finish in the bottom two placings of the competition ladder in two consecutive seasons.[13]
On 9 October 2007, ANZ Bank was announced as the league's major sponsor.[22] GM Holden, Fisher & Paykel and Mars Snackfood have also been named as major sponsors.[23][24]
All 69 games are shown live on One HD in Australia, with live matches broadcasted on SKY Sports in New Zealand. Fox Sports originally held telecast rights in Australia, signing a one-year deal in 2008.[25] However, One's parent company Network Ten succeeded in a rival bid, securing broadcasting rights for netball in Australia over four years starting from late 2008.[26] SKY Sports in New Zealand has a three-year deal.[25] These media rights are believed to be worth AU$1.5 million a year to Netball Australia and Netball New Zealand, with guaranteed primetime telecasts until 2010.[27] In New Zealand, Television New Zealand has delayed coverage rights, due to Netball New Zealand's split broadcasting deal between TVNZ (who have Silver Ferns games rights) and SKY.
| Season | Grand finals | Round-robin Top 4 | Minor premiers | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champion | Score | Runner-up | Losing preliminary finalists | Losing semi-finalists | |||||
| 2008 Details |
 New South Wales Swifts |
65 – 56 |  Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic |
 Adelaide Thunderbirds |
 Melbourne Vixens |
Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic |
|||
| 2009 Details |
Melbourne Vixens |
54 – 46 | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic |
 Southern Steel |
Melbourne Vixens |
|||
| Season | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 |  Romelda Aiken |
 Queensland Firebirds |
 Sonia Mkoloma |
 Central Pulse |
|
| 2009 | Romelda Aiken |
Queensland Firebirds |
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