The Grey Ferns - NZ's new netball strip

The Silver Ferns alternative strip for the Netball World Cup, next to the All Blacks grey strip at the 2007 World Cup. Photos Michael Bradley/Ross Setford

The Silver Ferns may wear a non-black strip for the first time during the Netball World Cup.

A new requirement for this year's tournament, which starts in Sydney next Friday, is that all teams have an alternative uniform in case of a clash with opposition.

The Silver Ferns have gone with a grey dress - a bold choice considering the All Blacks' ignominious history with grey garb.

Despite facing at least eight World Cup games in the first 10 days, the Ferns hope the grey strip will remain a box-fresh collectors' piece.

Netball New Zealand's head of high performance Steve Lancaster said the Ferns won't be donning their grey dress unless told to by organisers. But he insisted the team would not be bothered if they had to give the grey dresses a run in Sydney.

"As they do in the ANZ Championship, the players are used to wearing an alternate strip. The black dress is steeped in history and the team is excited about wearing the new BLK dress at the World Cup," said Lancaster.

Opponents the Ferns could have a clash with are Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, depending on the amount of black each have in their uniform.

The thought of the Ferns donning grey at a World Cup may have some superstitious fans feeling jumpy. The All Blacks grey strip became synonymous with failure after they slumped to a 20-18 loss to France in the quarterfinals of the 2007 Rugby World Cup. The All Blacks later changed their alternate strip to white.

The Silver Ferns fly to Sydney on Monday ahead of their opening clash of the tournament, against Barbados next Friday.

Grace Rasmussen, Maria Tutaia and Kayla Cullen model the Silver Ferns main strip for the World Cup. Photo / Michael Bradley.