By settling on an August start to its coronavirus-delayed season, Super Netball, the world’s premier netball league, has given itself the best possible chance of putting fans in the stands come finals time.
On Sunday, league bosses announced the 2020 season – which was due to begin in May and conclude in late August – will start on 1 August and feature a full fixture of 60 games, including four finals, expected to be played in mid-to-late November.
Netball Australia also revealed plans for the international calendar, confirming the trans-Tasman Constellation Cup will follow the season, but not the Quad Series, which has been called off.
It comes after the UK’s top-level competition, the Superleague, was last week cancelled entirely because of the pandemic.
New Zealand’s ANZ Premiership, which managed one round in March pre-shutdown, will re-start a revised competition on 19 June, with matches played every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday in one location in Auckland and without crowds. The top teams will play in a grand final on 23 August.
In Australia, Super Netball’s eight teams have been given the green light to train together from Monday, following state-specific distancing rules.
Super Netball chief executive Chris Symington says players will continue to be paid as per the current agreement of 12 hours per week, “with full pre-season training earmarked for late June, where athletes will return to their normal 23 hours of training a week”. Then, it’s game on, with matches to be broadcast on Channel 9 and app.
There is no fixture yet, but with the West Coast Fever, Adelaide Thunderbirds, Queensland Firebirds and Sunshine Coast Lightning based in the closed-border states of Western and South Australia and Queensland respectively, there are some significant challenges.
Insiders say the league looked at an eastern states hub model, even going so far as surveying clubs, but decided it was too costly.
It is believed the Thunderbirds, Fever, Firebirds and Lightning may play several games in a row in New South Wales and Victoria when the season begins, to avoid quarantine issues. As with other sporting leagues, when borders open will be central to how the season unfolds.
Commentator and Fever specialist coach Sue Gaudion says league administrators are being “conservative in a smart way” by not rushing back, especially if it means crowds are a chance.
“Everyone wants to get back on the court and there has been frustration behind the scenes, but fans in the stands … if we can give ourselves the best possible chance for that, that’s amazing,” she says.
“[Playing in front of a crowd] is why you play the game. For the players, it’s not just about themselves. The fans that support them week in and week out, they matter so much and crowds take the game to another level, in the stadium and on the broadcast. Everyone in the sport is desperate to see crowds.”
While it’s impossible to know if spectators may be allowed come November, starting in August gives a “bloody exciting” glimmer of hope, Gaudion says.
Another flicker of excitement is the prospect of Kiwi stars, who will finish their league in late August, joining Super Netball as injury replacements; a ploy masterfully exploited by 2019 premiers, the NSW Swifts.
Even with the coronavirus crisis presenting a financial challenge, Gaudion say coaches’ eyes will look across the Tasman if they need to replace a top player.
“The pandemic situation doesn’t change a coach’s mentality, they’re in it to win it. And while you never want injuries, rest assured they will be looking for the best, even if they get push back.”
Having waited decades, netball fans are uniquely qualified to play the long game. And with or without extra imports, the 2020 season – if it is completed without being compromised and if it features spectators – could be another watershed moment in netball’s long and winding road to professionalism and prominence.
