By JULIE ASH
Netball New Zealand chief executive Shelley McMeeken says Fiji's successful world championships bid is a bonus for the Oceania region.
Suva won the right to host the 2007 championships, edging out Perth and Durban.
"We are delighted for them," McMeeken said.
"It is great that it is going to be in this part of the world, for a number of reasons.
"It is really good for Oceania. The stronger Oceania becomes the better it is for netball in this area.
"It's great for supporters. The timezone is really appropriate and there will be teams coming to this part of the world prior to the event, which is really exciting."
In the lead-up to the last world championships, held in Jamaica in July, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and England all visited the host region.
"We suspect that will happen again," McMeeken said.
"Once they are on this side of the world there will be opportunities for them to play against teams like us and Samoa."
McMeeken said Netball New Zealand supported Netball Fiji's bid, which was presented at an international meeting in Miami by the Government of Fiji, the Fiji National Olympic Committee and the Fiji Sports Council.
"We sit with Oceania as a region and we certainly supported them in their bid.
"It was an outstanding bid. They did an incredible amount of work. It wasn't a surprise to see them awarded the championships after seeing how much time and energy they spent putting their bid together."
The bid by Fiji, who finished eighth at this year's world championships, was helped by their having a new stadium.
"There is four years so there is a lot of time for them to prepare," McMeeken said.
"I have spoken with the head of the delegation, Atma Maharaj, and certainly we have been looking at ways in which New Zealand could possibly assist."
There had been suggestions a Fijian team might compete in the National Bank Cup.
"Atma has suggested he would be quite keen - and we haven't explored this yet - for some of the Fijian players to be involved either at National Bank Cup or at Smokefree Championship level," she said.
"But not as a team."
Netball: Fiji worlds 'a bonus for Oceania'
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