It's not about new team hype. It's about place and scale.

The NZ teams would have rejected a move to join the Aussie comp. Netball in NZ is very popular. Their league has a lot of bargaining power compared to ours in the respective nations.

In NZ, this new league is a move from provincial to regional. Existing NZ clubs could not have moved to Australia so easily because it would have been seen as excluding the rest of the nation. Look at the "super" competitions. The provinces that joined (Otago, Canterbury, etc) have had their place names dropped in a bid to appeal beyind the traditional boundaries. Otago want their rivals in Southland to support the Highlanders.

The new netball teams will try to be more representative than the old teams that occupied their city in the old NBC. E.g. Wellington will be central, representing Palmie, Nelson and other places in addition to Wellington.

That is an important factor, the pay issue is also being largely driven by New Zealand. The new Netball Competition is as much about New Zealand having to form a new competition for further growth in revenue, building up pay packets for netballers, etc etc. The market of Australia is integral for New Zealand Netball to go up another step.

But from the articles over here in the west, brands such as the Orioles where dismantled because they needed a brand that eminated success. Brand research suggested that they needed to be immediately successfull to be considered reputable.

I think the hype of new teams is an important factor and is something that can not necessarily be done with the older teams. It will also make the standard a lot higher, in states like WA, with Victorians, South Australians and New South Welshmen where the predominant talent base is, actually looking to come over here, due to less teams.

I am looking forward to it.

Well the structure is also different Jeffles, Central will be playing games out of Palmerston North as well...so this will be fundamentally a regional side, not just a specific based city competition like the previous competition.

West Coast Fever....

also central pulse and southern steel...

WNBA?

Not sure if it's been discussed here, but the Adelaide club (Thunderbirds) is very closely linked with the Port Power. Surely this rules out 90%+ of the population from supporting them? Stupid move in my opinion.

have a read and check out their logo: http://www.anz-championship.com/adelaide-thunderbirds/

West Coast Fever was announced at Subiaco Oval as well...

I have to wait and see on whether it gets my support or not.

Adelaide Thunderbirds got this association last year with the Power.

West Coast Fever - in my day it was simply called an OD.

Not exactly the appropriate thread but I just gotta comment on the World Champs Final tonight.

A cracker of a second half. Very exciting stuff.

I wish the game had been played at Vector Arena. It warranted that venue.

I've said it before, i'll say it again.

You have the teams staying in downtown Auckland.
You hype the event up in downtown Auckland.
You have a pretty good (aka better than Trusts Stadium) indoor arena in downtown Auckland.
So lets play the final at Waitakere.

Only in f***ing New Zealand.

At least your bloke won the Scrabble Champs.

Well to be honest, they didn't want to make the World Championships look to good. Just imagine if Perth had defeated Fiji for the World Championships...Our venue is still a sand castle

Thank f**k for that.

Queensland have done the same as Adelaide and just retained the same name but with an updated look. So introducing the Queensland Firebirds!



They have also announced that Anna Bligh the Queensland Premier will be their Number One Ticket Holder. They will also be moving home games to the Convention Centre instead of well I don't have a clue actually, wikipedia says Chandler but I though that it was Hibiscus which is south of the CBD near Mt Gravatt, that might be just a training base however.
There is also a home draw listed on the firebirds website, first of any kind I have seen. Leaves NSW in Australia to announce there team, and 3 NZ teams.

Beastjim, the Firebirds did play at Chandler. The move to the Convention Centre, will give more modern facilities in a central location. A very good move.

Queensland Firebirds move up in contention as the team to support for me, do not know yet though.

Go Malawi

Couldn't resist posting this from todays HUN, though unfortunately the article photo of Dale Thomas between two vixens wasn't on-line.

Pies in Vixens corner
Katie Peart HUN
December 12, 2007

IT'S NOT just Dale Thomas that the Melbourne Vixens want to get their hands on at Collingwood. Victoria's newest netball team is tapping into Collingwood's expertise as it aims to carve a niche in Melbourne's crowded sports market. The alliance will enable the Vixens to draw on the Pies' experience in marketing and securing sponsorships.

Netball Victoria chief executive Sue Crow said the Vixens wanted to position themselves as a "competitive entertainment choice. We want to be able to provide a high quality, sophisticated product," she said. "To deliver something different to what people have seen before. Collingwood is working with us, seeking sponsorships and helping us service the sponsorships. They'll help us with the corporate hospitality area, membership packages and merchandising.

"Whilst we certainly have a great relationship with Collingwood, we have our own identity and control our own destiny. We plan to be much more sophisticated. We have Monday night games and we're hoping to step into the corporate market, where people will come to a match after work and have some drinks. We very much still want the families, and they'll probably come Sunday, but we want to cater to a new market that hasn't been to the netball."

There are 110,000 registered netballers in Victoria and the Vixens hope to gain their support through membership. Melbourne's previous teams, Phoenix and Kestrels, had a poor membership base of about 300. Collingwood's director of marketing David Emerson is aiming to sign up 5000 members in the Vixens' first year. "There's an opportunity to grow this from a netball team into a netball club. We can build a lot of support by using the model of an AFL club."

The Vixens will announce their 12-player squad today.