The Ascot Park Hotel Steel have advanced to their first Grand Final in eight years after an all-the-way 60-54 win over the VIP Frames & Trusses Tactix in the Elimination Final in Invercargill on Sunday.
The road to the 2026 ANZ Premiership title continues this weekend, with the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel hosting the VIP Frames & Trusses Tactix in the Elimination Final in Invercargill.
The road to the 2026 ANZ Premiership title is set, with tickets for both Finals Series matches going on sale this week.
With Elimination Final hosting rights on the line, Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel eventually got over the line 56-54 in a riveting contest against neighbours VIP Frames & Trusses Tactix in Invercargill on Sunday.
Based in Invercargill, the Steel were formed in 2007 and represent the Netball South Zone which embraces Southland and Otago.
The Steel resulted from the merger between two former National Bank Cup teams, the Southern Sting and Otago Rebels. The Steel subsequently becoming a founding team when netball launched into the semi-professional era with the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship in 2008.
Robyn Broughton was appointed the team’s first coach with Jenny-May Coffin and Megan Hutton named as co-captains.
The Steel had their best season in the final year of the ANZ Championship in 2016 when they won the minor premiership but subsequently lost the New Zealand Conference Final.
The Steel celebrated the introduction of the new elite ANZ Premiership domestic league in 2017 in style when claiming the inaugural title, completing a 16-match season unbeaten. They retained the title in 2018.
The Steel’s playing strip contains a mix of the burgundy/cerise and blue colours of Southland and Otago. The team’s home venues are ILT Stadium Southland, in Invercargill and the Edgar Centre, in Dunedin.
