Suncorp Super Netball

Suncorp Super Netball
Most recent season or competition:
2017 Suncorp Super Netball season
Sport Netball
Founded 2016
Inaugural season 2017
Motto All On The Line
No. of teams 8
Country Australia
Most recent
champion(s)		 Sunshine Coast Lightning
Most titles Sunshine Coast Lightning (1 title)
TV partner(s) Nine Network
Sponsor(s) Suncorp Group
Level on pyramid 1
Official website http://supernetball.com.au/

Suncorp Super Netball (also known non-commercially as the National Netball League) is the premier netball league in Australia. The inaugural season commenced in February 2017.[1][2]

History

Founding of Suncorp Super Netball

ANZ Championship Logo (2008–2016)

In 2008, Netball Australia and Netball New Zealand joined forces and created a Trans-Tasman league, the ANZ Championship 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 2016 season was the last of the competition, as Netball Australia looked to create a nationally exclusive league with a significantly improved broadcasting and media deal. This instigated the creation of Suncorp Super Netball, announced in May 2016.[3] The New Zealand successor to the previous ANZ Championship is the ANZ Premiership.[4]

The new league consists of the five former Australian ANZ Championship teams; the Adelaide Thunderbirds, Melbourne Vixens, NSW Swifts, Queensland Firebirds and West Coast Fever, in addition to three new teams, the Collingwood Magpies, Giants Netball and Sunshine Coast Lightning.[5] The three new teams are owned and operated by three clubs in the popular Australian Football League and National Rugby League football codes.

Expansion teams Sunshine Coast Lightning and Giants Netball met in the Grand Final in the competition's inaugural season, the Lightning winning the match 65–48 before a crowd of 8,999 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.[6][7]

Teams

Finals

Awards

A total of five major awards are issued at the conclusion of each Super Netball season. These awards are:

Currently, the Player of the Year is Geva Mentor (Sunshine Coast Lightning), the Grand Final MVP is Karla Mostert (Sunshine Coast Lightning), the Young Star is Liz Watson (Melbourne Vixens), the Coach of the Year is Simone McKinnis (Melbourne Vixens) and the Leading Goalscorer is Caitlin Thwaites (Collingwood Magpies), who scored 594 goals in the 2017 regular season.

Broadcasting

The Nine Network and Telstra are the official broadcasters of Suncorp Super Netball. Netball Australia signed a 5 year deal with the entities, with the arrrangenent commencing from the 2017 season. Under the provisions of the deal, Nine will televise a Saturday night double-header each round live on either their primary channel or on secondary channel 9Gem. Nine will also televise the two remaining matches on delay.[8]

Mobile platform Telstra provide live coverage of the two matches not part of the double header and also simulcast Nine's two live matches. The service is available via Telstra TV and on the Netball Australia app.[8]

See also

References

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