Netball: New Zealand investigating chances of hosting 2031 World Cup

Grace Nweke of the Silver Ferns. Photosport

Netball New Zealand is investigating a potential bid to host the 2031 World Cup.

NNZ bid to host last year’s World Cup but were pipped by Cape Town, with World Netball opting to have the sport’s pinnacle event in Africa for the first time.

They didn’t bid to host the 2027 World Cup, which will be hosted by Netball Australia in Sydney. The last time New Zealand hosted the tournament was in Auckland in 2007.

The Silver Ferns battled for headlines in Cape Town last year when Aotearoa was co-hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the biggest women’s sporting event in the world.

And 2022 was also a big year for women’s cricket and rugby with the White Ferns and Black Ferns enjoying the boost in profile which came from hosting home world cups.

World Netball has not called for expressions of interest yet, but Netball New Zealand CEO Jennie Wyllie said it was something the national body was looking into.

”That process has not come out for tender yet for 2031 but we’ve certainly had some really encouraging conversations with our government and Sport New Zealand around an interest level for hosting.

”Once those programmes are set and the tender process is open we’ll be able to explore that further,” Wyllie said.

There’s still a huge question mark hanging over the Commonwealth Games, netball’s other pinnacle event.

The Commonwealth Games Federation has been struggling to find a host for the 2026 Games.

The BBC has reported that Malaysia has been asked to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Wyllie said not having certainty over a pinnacle event was unsettling for every sport that participated in the Games.

”You kind of have to work with that in mind but make your own plans and ensure that you are continually having these moments that matter for your sport and reinventing and making sure that you are able to be flexible if they are able to announce a host in the future.

”Playing for Team New Zealand has always been a massive source of pride ...the model for those kinds of multi-sport events has to be reconsidered across the board and it’s important that our sport is represented at that level.”

- RNZ