Founded | 2008 |
---|---|
Owner(s) | Netball Australia |
No. of teams | 11 (2023) |
Country | Australia |
Most recent champion(s) | NNSW Waratahs (2024) |
Most titles | Victorian Fury (8 titles) |
Level on pyramid | 2 |
Official website | Australian Netball Championships |
The Australian Netball Championships, formerly the Australian Netball League, is an Australian netball competition. Since 2008 it has served as a second level competition, initially below the ANZ Championship and later below Suncorp Super Netball. It is organised by Netball Australia. The teams in the competition are effectively the reserve teams of Suncorp Super Netball teams and/or the representative teams of state netball leagues, such as the South Australia state netball league, the Victorian Netball League and the West Australian Netball League. Victorian Fury were the inaugural ANL champions. Fury are also the competition's most successful team, having won eight premierships. The 2020 ANL season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the competition was subsequently re-branded as the Australian Netball Championships.
The Australian Netball League was first played for during the 2008 season. Netball Australia wanted to organise a second level national league to bridge the gap between states leagues, like the South Australia state netball league, the Victorian Netball League and the West Australian Netball League, and the new ANZ Championship. It was also designed to provide a national competition for the states and territories of Australia, such the Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory and Tasmania, who did not have an ANZ Championship franchise. [1] [2] [3]
Victorian Fury were the inaugural champions, defeating the Australian Institute of Sport 56–41 in the first grand final. [1] [4] In 2009 Fury retained the title [3] [5] [6] and in 2010 they completed a three in a row. [7] [8] In 2011 NNSW Waratahs became the first team other than Fury to win the ANL title. In the grand final they defeated Fury 55–46. [9] [10] Between 2013 and 2016 Fury completed a four in a row of ANL titles. [11] In 2016 Fury won their seventh title [12] and in 2019 they won their eighth. [13] [14] [15]
In June 2020, Netball Australia announced that the 2020 ANL season would be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [16] [17] [18] In October 2020, it was announced that the ANL was to be rebranded as the Australian Netball Championships, featuring a new tournament style format with expanded team entry parameters. Suncorp Super Netball teams and Netball Australia member organisations would all be invited to enter teams. [19] [20] In July 2021, Netball Australia announced details of the planned inaugural ANC tournament due to be played in September and hosted by Latrobe City Council and Collingwood Magpies in Traralgon. [21] [22] [23] [24] However, in August 2021 this tournament was also cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [25] [26]
The teams in the competition are effectively the reserve teams of Suncorp Super Netball teams and/or the representative teams of state netball leagues, such as the South Australia state netball league, the Victorian Netball League and the West Australian Netball League.
Team | Region | Debut season | Final season |
---|---|---|---|
Australian Institute of Sport [4] [31] | Australian Capital Territory | 2008 | 2012 |
Canberra Darters | Australian Capital Territory | 2008 | 2016 |
Canberra Giants | Australian Capital Territory | 2017 | 2019 |
NNSW Blues [10] [32] [33] | New South Wales | 2008 | 2014 |
NNSW Waratahs [10] [32] [33] [34] | New South Wales | 2008 | 2019 |
Singapore [3] [35] | Singapore | 2009 | 2010 |
Tasmanian Spirit [36] [37] | Tasmania | 2008 | 2015 |
Tasmanian Magpies | Tasmania | 2017 | 2019 |
Territory Storm | Northern Territory | 2008 | 2019 |
Victorian Flames [38] [39] [40] [41] | Victoria | 2013 | 2014 |
Source: [58]
Winners | Seasons | Titles |
---|---|---|
Victorian Fury | 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019 | 8 |
NNSW Waratahs | 2011, 2024 | 2 |
Southern Force | 2012, 2022 | 2 |
ANC Collingwood Magpies | 2023 | 1 |
Tasmanian Magpies | 2018 | 1 |
Western Sting | 2017 | 1 |
Source: [58]
Season | Player | Team |
---|---|---|
2008 [1] | Narelle Eather | NNSW Blues |
2009 [3] | Kathleen Knott | Victorian Fury |
2010 [34] [35] | Amorette Wild | NNSW Waratahs |
2011 [9] | Karyn Bailey | Victorian Fury |
2012 [59] | Kristy Guthrie | NNSW Waratahs |
2013 | Mwai Kumwenda | Victorian Fury |
2014 [60] [61] [62] | Ashleigh Brazill | Western Sting |
2014 [60] [61] [62] | Kristina Brice | NNSW Waratahs |
2015 [63] [64] [65] | Kate Shimmin | Southern Force |
2016 [66] | Vanessa Mullampy | NNSW Waratahs |
2017 [67] | Sophie Garbin | Western Sting |
2018 [68] | Rahni Samason | Victorian Fury |
2019 [69] | Emma Ryde | Victorian Fury |
Sponsors | Seasons |
---|---|
New Idea [1] [6] | 2008–c. 2011 |
Deakin University [16] [18] [71] | 2018–2020 |
Canberra Darters are a former Australian netball team based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The team was originally formed as a partnership between the Australian Institute of Sport and Netball ACT. Between 2003 and 2007 they played in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy as AIS Canberra Darters. The AIS and Netball ACT subsequently entered separate teams in the Australian Netball League. Canberra Darters were the Netball ACT team in the ANL between 2008 and 2016. In 2017 they were replaced in the ANL by Canberra Giants.
Adelaide Thunderbirds are an Australian professional netball team based in Adelaide, South Australia. Since 2017 they have played in Suncorp Super Netball. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Championship and between 1997 and 2007, they played in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy league. Thunderbirds have won five premierships. They won their first two premierships in 1998 and 1999 during the Commonwealth Bank Trophy era, their third and fourth in 2010 and 2013 during ANZ Championship era, and their sixth in 2023, 2024 during the suncorp netball era. Historically, Thunderbirds are one of Australia's most successful netball teams. Between 1997 and 2010 they finished in the top three of every regular season, and are the first and only team to win a Trophy at all 3 eras.
Melbourne Vixens is an Australian professional netball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. Since 2017 they have represented Netball Victoria in Suncorp Super Netball. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Championship. The team was formed in 2007 when Netball Victoria merged its two former Commonwealth Bank Trophy league teams, Melbourne Phoenix and Melbourne Kestrels. Vixens have won three premierships, in 2009, 2014 and 2020.
New South Wales Swifts are an Australian professional netball team based in Sydney, New South Wales. Since 2017 they have represented Netball New South Wales in Suncorp Super Netball. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Championship. The team was formed in 2007 when Netball New South Wales merged its two former Commonwealth Bank Trophy league teams, Sydney Swifts and Hunter Jaegers. In 2008, Swifts were the inaugural ANZ Championship winners. Swifts were also grand finalists in 2015 and 2016. They won their second and third premierships in 2019 and 2021.
Rebecca Bulley, also known as Rebecca Strachan, is a former Australia netball international and current netball coach. Between 2008 and 2015 she made 42 senior appearances for Australia. Bulley was a member of the Australia teams that won the gold medal at the 2015 Netball World Cup and the silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Bulley also won three ANZ Championship titles with three different teams – the 2008 New South Wales Swifts, the 2013 Adelaide Thunderbirds and the 2015 Queensland Firebirds. She began her senior club career with Melbourne Kestrels during the Commonwealth Bank Trophy era and finished it playing for Giants Netball in Suncorp Super Netball.
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Fiona Themann, also known as Fiona Fowler, is a Scotland netball international. She represented Scotland at the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games and at the 2015 Netball World Cup. At club level, she has played for Melbourne Phoenix in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy, Melbourne University Lightning in the Victorian Netball League, Victorian Fury in the Australian Netball League and for Adelaide Thunderbirds in Suncorp Super Netball. She captained Fury when they won ANL premierships in 2015 and 2016. In 2016 she helped three different teams win league titles. In addition to captaining Fury, she also helped Lightning win the VNL Championship and Newbridge win the LVFNL premiership.
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