2020 ANZ Premiership draw confirmed

Defending champions Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse will open the 2020 ANZ Premiership in a season which sees several changes to New Zealand’s premier netball league.

The Pulse’s title defence starts on the road on March 15 where they meet The Good Oil Tactix in Blenheim.

The new schedule will see two games played on a Sunday and one game filling the popular Monday night spot.

Netball New Zealand chief executive Jennie Wyllie said the ANZ Premiership was continuing to improve each year in both the quality on court and as an entertainment product.

“We are entering our fourth season of ANZ Premiership netball and it is certainly pleasing to see how it has grown in that short time,” she said.

“The development of our next generation of Silver Ferns has been a primary focus and we have seen the benefits of growing New Zealand talent in this competition.”

The new schedule will enable teams to host either seven or eight home games, while having matches on just two days of the week would ease the workload of both the athletes and those who work behind the scenes in the smooth running of the ANZ Premiership.

“There have been a number of recommendations come through as part of our High Performance and Competitions review,” Wyllie said.

“Considering the workload of our athletes and volunteers was key in making changes to the ANZ Premiership.

“The new schedule also allows fans to see more of their favourite team on a home court,” she said.

The regular season finishes with the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel hosting Splice Construction Magic in Invercargill on June 29.

The league’s partnership with Sky Television will see all games televised live on Sky Sport.

CLICK HERE to view the 2020 ANZ Premiership draw