Tasman Trophy netball plans are work in progress

By MATT RICHENS - Waikato Times | Wednesday, 19 September 2007

Planning for the inaugural season of the Tasman Trophy netball competition is right on track, says general manager Tony Holding.

Seven months out from the start of the 10-team transtasman league, the public has been left in the dark about details of the tournament.

Holding said all was under control and an announcement from the organisers would be released "in the near future".

"There is so much under construction," he said.

"There's a lot of movement. It's just about what is ready to be made public."

All the teams were rebranding for the new format, Holding said, including Waikato-Bay of Plenty. It is understood the local franchise, which has yet to have its name confirmed, wants to stick with the successful Magic, with which it won the last two National Bank Cups.

Holding said the new competition was going to be "huge" with new teams from each country, a longer four-month season and more chance for fans to form an attachment to their team.

A promoter's dream - one of the objectives for this competitions, Holding said - was elite development of players, officials and administrators.

It will be a tier above the two countries' domestic competitions of the past, which can only improve the quality of New Zealand and Australia's international teams - making the already cavernous gulf between Australasia and the rest of the world wider.

Holding didn't see it that way, instead thinking the two countries were leading the way, setting an example.

Looking after world netball isn't in Holding's job description, but he didn't rule out the possibility of the competition developing in the future to include other teams from the Pacific Islands - something Super rugby has talked about, but not managed in its 12 years.

Waikato-Bay of Plenty franchise board chairman Peter De Luca said all the local plans for the April start were on track, but like Holding said they weren't in a position to release details yet.

When it came to the administration of the new franchise, again De Luca said they were not in a position to comment.

He said that while times and dates were not confirmed, the franchise would spread its home games throughout the region.




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