Netball: Changes to ANZ Championship

The trans-Tasman netball league will span just 12 weeks in 2011. Photo / Paul Taylor

Next year's trans-Tasman netball league will be condensed by three weeks to allow players more time to prepare for the world championship at Singapore in July.

The 10-team league will again feature 65 round-robin matches followed by a four-match finals series, but in a change from the previous three years the regular season will span just 12 weeks, not 15, to accommodate the world championship.

Three "double" rounds, in which six, seven or eight matches will be played rather than four or five, will see some teams play two matches over the weekend, while bye rounds have been removed and Thursday night matches have been introduced to help pick up the slack.

All Australian and New Zealand teams will again play the four other teams from their respective countries twice - once at home and once away - and each team from the other side of the Tasman Sea once - either home or away.

The league's general manager, Anthony Everard, said that scheduling the season has posed some challenges because of the world championship.

"After working through numerous scenarios, we're confident that we have developed a draw which maintains the integrity of the competition, and will deliver another exciting spectacle for fans," he said.

The competition, which starts on February 13 and culminates with the grand final on May 22 or 23, features two "marquee" matches on opening weekend, with this year's minor premiers New South Wales hosting champions Adelaide in Sydney and the Northern Mystics playing the Southern Steel in Auckland.

The final squad lists will be released at the end of September.

- NZPA