Australian Netball Championships Explained

Australian Netball Championships should not be confused with Australian National Netball Championships.

Australian Netball Championships
Founded:	2008
Owner:	Netball Australia
Teams:	11 (2023)
Country:	Australia
Champion:	ANC Collingwood Magpies (2023)
Most Champs:	Victorian Fury (8 titles)
Levels:	2

The Australian Netball Championships, formerly the Australian Netball League, is an Australian netball competition. Since 2008 it has served as a second level competition, initially below the ANZ Championship and later below Suncorp Super Netball. It is organised by Netball Australia. The teams in the competition are effectively the reserve teams of Suncorp Super Netball teams and/or the representative teams of state netball leagues, such as the South Australia state netball league, the Victorian Netball League and the West Australian Netball League. Victorian Fury were the inaugural ANL champions. Fury are also the competition's most successful team, having won eight premierships. The 2020 ANL season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the competition was subsequently re-branded as the Australian Netball Championships.

History

Australian Netball League

Foundation

The Australian Netball League was first played for during the 2008 season. Netball Australia wanted to organise a second level national league to bridge the gap between states leagues, like the South Australia state netball league, the Victorian Netball League and the West Australian Netball League, and the new ANZ Championship. It was also designed to provide a national competition for the states and territories of Australia, such the Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory and Tasmania, who did not have an ANZ Championship franchise.^{[1] [2] [3]}

Victorian Fury dominance

Victorian Fury were the inaugural champions, defeating the Australian Institute of Sport 56–41 in the first grand final.^{[4] [5]} In 2009 Fury retained the title ^{[6] [7] [8]} and in 2010 they completed a three in a row.^{[9] [10]} In 2011 NNSW Waratahs became the first team other than Fury to win the ANL title. In the grand final they defeated Fury 55–46.^{[11] [12]} Between 2013 and 2016 Fury completed a four in a row of ANL titles.^[13] In 2016 Fury won their seventh title ^[14] and in 2019 they won their eighth.^{[15] [16] [17]}

Australian Netball Championships

In June 2020, Netball Australia announced that the 2020 ANL season would be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^{[18] [19] [20]} In October 2020, it was announced that the ANL was to be rebranded as the Australian Netball Championships, featuring a new tournament style format with expanded team entry parameters. Suncorp Super Netball teams and Netball Australia member organisations would all be invited to enter teams.^{[21] [22]} In July 2021, Netball Australia announced details of the planned inaugural ANC tournament due to be played in September and hosted by Latrobe City Council and Collingwood Magpies in Traralgon.^{[23] [24] [25] [26]} However, in August 2021 this tournament was also cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^{[27] [28]}

Teams

2023 teams

The teams in the competition are effectively the reserve teams of Suncorp Super Netball teams and/or the representative teams of state netball leagues, such as the South Australia state netball league, the Victorian Netball League and the West Australian Netball League.

Team	SSN affiliate	State/Territory	Debut season
Firebirds Futures	Queensland Firebirds	Queensland	2008
Adelaide Thunderbirds Futures	Adelaide Thunderbirds	South Australia
Victorian Fury	Melbourne Vixens	Victoria
West Coast Fever reserves	West Coast Fever	Western Australia
ANC Collingwood Magpies	Collingwood Magpies	Victoria	2021
Giants Netball Academy	Giants Netball	New South Wales
Swifts Academy	New South Wales Swifts	New South Wales
Sunshine Coast Lightning Bolts	Sunshine Coast Lightning	Queensland
Capital Darters^[29] ^[30] ^[31]	Sunshine Coast Lightning	Australian Capital Territory
Tasmania Wild	none	Tasmania		2023
Territory Storm	none	Northern Territory	2008

^[32]

Former teams

Team	Region	Debut season	Final season
Australian Institute of Sport^[33] ^[34]	Australian Capital Territory	2008	2012
Canberra Darters	Australian Capital Territory	2008	2016
Canberra Giants	Australian Capital Territory	2017	2019
NNSW Blues^[35] ^[36]	New South Wales	2008	2014
NNSW Waratahs^[37]	New South Wales	2008	2019
Singapore^[38] ^[39]	Singapore	2009	2010
Tasmanian Spirit^[40] ^[41]	Tasmania	2008	2015
Tasmanian Magpies	Tasmania	2017	2019
Territory Storm	Northern Territory	2008	2019
Victorian Flames^[42] ^[43] ^[44] ^[45]	Victoria	2013	2014

Grand Finals

Season	Winners	Score	Runners Up	Venue
2008^[46] ^[47]	Victorian Fury	56–41	Australian Institute of Sport	Sydney
2009^[48] ^[49] ^[50]	Victorian Fury	46–32	Australian Institute of Sport	BCEC
2010^[51] ^[52]	Victorian Fury	54–47	NNSW Waratahs	Waverley Netball Centre
2011^[53]	NNSW Waratahs	55–46	Victorian Fury	Waverley Netball Centre
2012^[54]	Southern Force	50–36	NNSW Waratahs	Waverley Netball Centre
2013^[55]	Victorian Fury	56–51	NNSW Waratahs	Netball SA Stadium
2014^[56] ^[57]	Victorian Fury	51–49	Queensland Fusion	Waverley Netball Centre
2015^[58]	Victorian Fury	58–46	Southern Force	Waverley Netball Centre
2016^[59]	Victorian Fury	53–46	NNSW Waratahs	Netball Central
2017^[60] ^[61] ^[62] ^[63]	Western Sting	63–47	Victorian Fury	Perth State Netball Centre
2018^[64] ^[65] ^[66]	Tasmanian Magpies	54–53	Canberra Giants	AIS Arena
2019^[67] ^[68] ^[69]	Victorian Fury	54–53	NNSW Waratahs
2020
2021
2022	Southern Force	59–57	Victorian Fury	Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium, Traralgon
2023	ANC Collingwood Magpies	57–55	Swifts Academy	Morayfield Sport and Leisure Centre

Notes

• The 2020 and 2021 competitions were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.

Winners

Winners	Seasons	Titles
Victorian Fury	2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019	8
Southern Force	2012, 2022	2
ANC Collingwood Magpies	2023	1
NNSW Waratahs	2011	1
Tasmanian Magpies	2018	1
Western Sting	2017	1

MVP

Season	Player	Team
2008	Narelle Eather
2009	Kathleen Knott	Victorian Fury
2010	Amorette Wild	NNSW Waratahs
2011^[70]	Karyn Bailey	Victorian Fury
2012^[71]	Kristy Guthrie	NNSW Waratahs
2013	Mwai Kumwenda	Victorian Fury
2014^[72] ^[73] ^[74]	Ashleigh Brazill	Western Sting
2014	Kristina Brice	NNSW Waratahs
2015^[75] ^[76] ^[77]	Kate Shimmin	Southern Force
2016^[78]	Vanessa Mullampy	NNSW Waratahs
2017^[79]	Sophie Garbin	Western Sting
2018^[80]	Rahni Samason	Victorian Fury
2019^[81]	Emma Ryde	Victorian Fury

Sponsorship

Sponsors	Seasons
New Idea^[82] ^[83]	2008–c. 2011
Deakin University^[84]	2018–2020

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2008 Annual Report - Netball Australia. netball.com.au. 11 June 2020.
2. Web site: 2008 Netball Western Australia Annual Report. 4 August 2020. Netball Western Australia. https://web.archive.org/web/20201001214439/http://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/netball-wp-assets/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2013/11/06180723/2008-NWA-Annual-Report.pdf. 1 October 2020.
3. Web site: 2009 Annual Report - Netball Australia. netball.com.au. 23 June 2020.
4. Web site: 2008 Annual Report - Netball Australia. netball.com.au. 11 June 2020.
5. Web site: 2008 AIS Netball Program . https://web.archive.org/web/20200610215552/https://www.clearinghouseforsport.gov.au/people/ais_alumni/netball/2008 . 10 June 2020 . 10 June 2020 . Clearinghouse for Sport . Australian Sports Commission.
6. Web site: 2009 Annual Report - Netball Australia. netball.com.au. 23 June 2020.
7. Web site: 2009 AIS Netball Program . https://web.archive.org/web/20201009185133/https://www.clearinghouseforsport.gov.au/people/ais_alumni/netball/2009 . 9 October 2020 . 22 June 2020 . Clearinghouse for Sport . Australian Sports Commission.
8. Web site: 2009 New Idea Australian Netball League. www.netball.asn.au. https://web.archive.org/web/20110219112713/http://www.netball.asn.au/drawresult.asp?comp=12386&OrgID=1. 22 June 2020. 19 February 2011.
9. Web site: Victorian Fury take third netball crown. www.smh.com.au. 22 June 2020. 12 September 2010.
10. Web site: Victorian Fury claim third consecutive New Idea ANL Grand Final. www.womensportreport.com. 21 June 2020. 13 September 2010.
11. Web site: 2011 Annual Report – Netball Australia. netball.com.au. 26 August 2020.
12. Web site: Netball NSW and NSW Swifts – 2011 Annual Report. Netball NSW. https://web.archive.org/web/20210111140428/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/netball-wp-assets/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2013/10/06155444/2011-Netball-NSW-Annual-Report.pdf. 11 January 2021. 28 June 2020.
13. Web site: Fury hold out Force to claim hat-trick of ANL titles. www.womensportreport.com. 17 June 2020. 26 July 2015.
14. Web site: Fury crowned ANL 2016 Premiers. vic.netball.com.au. 17 June 2020. 26 June 2016.
15. Web site: Vic Fury defeat NSW Waratahs in one-goal ANL final thriller. netball.com.au. 30 June 2019. 21 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20190728100357/https://netball.com.au/news/vic-fury-defeat-nsw-waratahs-one-goal-anl-final-thriller. 28 July 2019. live.
16. Web site: Dwyer named MVP in thrilling Australian Netball League climax. www.nswis.com.au. 21 June 2020. 1 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20200621181330/https://www.nswis.com.au/nswis-news/dwyer-named-mvp-in-thrilling-australian-netball-league-climax/. 21 June 2020. live.
17. Web site: Victorian Fury claim eighth Australian Netball League title. draftcentral.com.au. 21 June 2020. 2 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20200622174817/https://netball.draftcentral.com.au/victorian-fury-claim-eighth-australian-netball-league-title/. 22 June 2020. live.
18. Web site: 2020 Deakin University Australian Netball League Season Cancelled. netball.com.au. 2 June 2020. 26 December 2021.
19. Web site: Super Netball feeder league cut. www.smh.com.au. 2 June 2020. 6 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200606061942/https://amp.smh.com.au/sport/netball/super-netball-feeder-league-cut-20200602-p54yta.html. 6 June 2020. live.
20. Web site: 2020 DUANL Season Cancelled. giantsnetball.com.au. 3 June 2020. 26 December 2021.
21. Web site: Australian Netball Championships to replace Australian Netball League. netball.com.au. 28 October 2020. 26 December 2021.
22. Web site: Australian Netball Championships to replace Australian Netball League. supernetball.com.au. https://web.archive.org/web/20201101002807/https://supernetball.com.au/news/australian-netball-championships-replace-australian-netball-league. 1 November 2020. 29 October 2020. 26 December 2021.
23. Web site: Latrobe City to host 2021 Australian Netball Championships. netball.com.au. 21 May 2021. 27 December 2021.
24. Web site: Record number of teams enter ANC. netball.com.au. 8 July 2021. 26 December 2021.
25. Web site: Australian Netball Championships – 2021 Fixture. netball.com.au. 27 December 2021.
26. Web site: Queensland Sapphires to be introduced to netball world at Championships in September. qld.netball.com.au. 27 July 2021. 26 December 2021.
27. Web site: Update on 2021 Australian Netball Championships . netball.com.au. 20 August 2021. 26 December 2021.
28. Web site: Queensland Sapphires look at options as Australian Netball Championships remodelled. qld.netball.com.au. 20 August 2021. 26 December 2021.
29. Web site: Capital Darters. act.netball.com.au. 27 February 2020. 28 August 2020.
30. Web site: Inaugural Capital Darters Team Announcement. act.netball.com.au. 27 February 2020. 28 August 2020.
31. Web site: Lightning To Align With Netball ACT's Capital Darters in ANL. sunshinecoastlightning.com.au. https://web.archive.org/web/20200317074328/https://sunshinecoastlightning.com.au/lightning-to-align-with-netball-acts-capital-darters-in-anl/. 17 March 2020. 28 August 2020.
32. Web site: Australian Netball Championships locked in . 2023-08-23 . Netball Australia . en.
33. Web site: 2008 AIS Netball Program . https://web.archive.org/web/20200610215552/https://www.clearinghouseforsport.gov.au/people/ais_alumni/netball/2008 . 10 June 2020 . 10 June 2020 . Clearinghouse for Sport . Australian Sports Commission.
34. Web site: 2012 AIS Netball Program . https://web.archive.org/web/20190328074505/https://www.clearinghouseforsport.gov.au/people/ais_alumni/netball/2012 . 28 March 2019 . 17 August 2020 . Clearinghouse for Sport . Australian Sports Commission.
35. Web site: Netball NSW – 2009 Annual Report. https://web.archive.org/web/20210111140741/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/netball-wp-assets/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2013/10/06155445/2009-Netball-NSW-Annual-Report.pdf. 11 January 2021. 28 June 2020. Netball NSW.
36. Web site: Netball NSW and NSW Swifts – 2012 Annual Report. https://web.archive.org/web/20210110073113/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/netball-wp-assets/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2013/10/06155446/2012-Netball-NSW-Annual-Report.pdf. 10 January 2021. 28 June 2020 . Netball NSW.
37. Web site: 2010 Netball NSW Annual Report. https://web.archive.org/web/20210110202235/http://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/netball-wp-assets/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2013/10/06155445/2010-Netball-NSW-Annual-Report.pdf. 10 January 2021. 28 June 2020. Netball NSW.
38. Web site: 2009 Annual Report - Netball Australia. netball.com.au. 23 June 2020.
39. Web site: Netball Australia Annual Report 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20201029171008/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/netball-wp-assets/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/27094535/2010-Annual-Report.pdf. 29 October 2020. 28 June 2020 . Netball Australia.
40. Web site: Tassie's Spirit drops out of national league. www.themercury.com.au. 6 November 2015. 25 July 2020.
41. Web site: Australian Netball League up and running for 2016 but no Tassie Spirit. www.examiner.com.au. 24 June 2020. 30 April 2016.
42. Web site: Australian Netball League grows with addition of Victorian Flames. www.womensportreport.com. 23 June 2020. 10 December 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20200625190735/https://www.womensportreport.com/australian-netball-league-grows-with/wn/15924. 25 June 2020. live.
43. Web site: Victoria gets second netball league team. www.smh.com.au. 23 June 2020. 10 December 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20200626083358/https://www.smh.com.au/sport/netball/victoria-gets-second-netball-league-team-20121210-2b4xd.html. 26 June 2020. live.
44. Web site: Netball Victoria – Annual Report 2013. Netball Victoria. https://web.archive.org/web/20210110234719/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/netball-wp-assets/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2013/09/06164114/NV_AR_FA_Digital-1.pdf. 10 January 2021. 9 July 2020.
45. Web site: Netball Victoria – Annual Report 2014. Netball Victoria. 28 August 2020.
46. Web site: 2008 Annual Report - Netball Australia. netball.com.au. 11 June 2020.
47. Web site: 2008 AIS Netball Program . https://web.archive.org/web/20200610215552/https://www.clearinghouseforsport.gov.au/people/ais_alumni/netball/2008 . 10 June 2020 . 10 June 2020 . Clearinghouse for Sport . Australian Sports Commission.
48. Web site: 2009 Annual Report - Netball Australia. netball.com.au. 23 June 2020.
49. Web site: 2009 AIS Netball Program . https://web.archive.org/web/20201009185133/https://www.clearinghouseforsport.gov.au/people/ais_alumni/netball/2009 . 9 October 2020 . 22 June 2020 . Clearinghouse for Sport . Australian Sports Commission.
50. Web site: 2009 New Idea Australian Netball League. www.netball.asn.au. https://web.archive.org/web/20110219112713/http://www.netball.asn.au/drawresult.asp?comp=12386&OrgID=1. 22 June 2020. 19 February 2011.
51. Web site: Victorian Fury take third netball crown. www.smh.com.au. 22 June 2020. 12 September 2010.
52. Web site: Victorian Fury claim third consecutive New Idea ANL Grand Final. www.womensportreport.com. 21 June 2020. 13 September 2010.
53. Web site: 2011 Annual Report – Netball Australia. netball.com.au. 26 August 2020.
54. Web site: Annual Report 2012 – Netball SA. sa.netball.com.au. 29 June 2020.
55. Web site: Vic Fury win Aus netball league title. www.sbs.com.au. 21 June 2020. 6 September 2013.
56. Web site: Netball Queensland – Annual Report 2014. Netball Queensland. https://web.archive.org/web/20201012141852/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/netball-wp-assets/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2013/09/06195720/Netball-Qld-Annual-Report-2014-E-version-complete.pdf. 12 October 2020. 2 September 2020.
57. Web site: Two titles for Fury. Riverine Herald. 21 June 2020. 27 August 2014.
58. Web site: Fury hold out Force to claim hat-trick of ANL titles. www.womensportreport.com. 17 June 2020. 26 July 2015.
59. Web site: Fury crowned ANL 2016 Premiers. vic.netball.com.au. 17 June 2020. 26 June 2016.
60. Web site: Western Sting crowned ANL champions. 9 April 2017. 21 June 2020. netball.com.au.
61. Web site: Fury runners-up in intense ANL finals weekend. 9 April 2017. 21 June 2020. vic.netball.com.au.
62. Web site: Historic ANL Title for Western Sting. 10 April 2017. 2 August 2020. wais.org.au.
63. Web site: 2017 Netball Western Australia Annual Report. 3 August 2020. wa.netball.com.au.
64. Web site: Tasmanian Magpies, finally, deliver on ANL big stage against Canberra Giants in grand final win. www.smh.com.au. 1 July 2018. 21 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200624044719/https://www.smh.com.au/sport/netball/canberra-giants-fall-agonizingly-short-in-anl-grand-final-thriller-20180701-p4zoud.html. 24 June 2020. live.
65. Web site: Canberra Giants fall agonisingly short in ANL grand final thriller. www.examiner.com.au. 1 July 2018. 21 June 2020.
66. Web site: Tassie Magpies celebrate first DUANL title. netball.com.au. 1 July 2018. 25 July 2020.
67. Web site: Vic Fury defeat NSW Waratahs in one-goal ANL final thriller. netball.com.au. 30 June 2019. 21 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20190728100357/https://netball.com.au/news/vic-fury-defeat-nsw-waratahs-one-goal-anl-final-thriller. 28 July 2019. live.
68. Web site: Dwyer named MVP in thrilling Australian Netball League climax. www.nswis.com.au. 21 June 2020. 1 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20200621181330/https://www.nswis.com.au/nswis-news/dwyer-named-mvp-in-thrilling-australian-netball-league-climax/. 21 June 2020. live.
69. Web site: Victorian Fury claim eighth Australian Netball League title. draftcentral.com.au. 21 June 2020. 2 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20200622174817/https://netball.draftcentral.com.au/victorian-fury-claim-eighth-australian-netball-league-title/. 22 June 2020. live.
70. Web site: 2011 Annual Report – Netball Australia. netball.com.au. 26 August 2020.
71. Web site: Netball Australia Annual Report 2012 . netball.com.au. 30 September 2020.
72. Web site: Madi Robinson wins Liz Ellis Diamond as Australia's best netballer for 2014. www.abc.net.au. 29 November 2014. 5 February 2021.
73. Web site: Melbourne Vixens netball star Madison Robinson wins Liz Ellis Diamond for second time. www.adelaidenow.com.au. 29 November 2014. 20 April 2021.
74. Web site: Netball Australia – Directors Report 2014 . netball.com.au. 9 September 2021.
75. Web site: Caitlin Bassett wins Liz Ellis Diamond as Australian netballer of the year. www.abc.net.au. 7 November 2015. 20 April 2021.
76. Web site: Shooter Caitlin Bassett wins Liz Ellis Diamond. www.smh.com.au. 8 November 2015. 20 April 2021.
77. Web site: Netball Australia – Directors Report 2015. netball.com.au. 6 September 2021.
78. Web site: Netball NSW – 2016 Annual Report. Netball NSW. https://web.archive.org/web/20200630013613/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/netball-wp-assets/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2017/10/06143231/2016-NNSW-Annual-Report.pdf. 30 June 2020. 28 June 2020.
79. Web site: Netball Australia 2017 award winners. sunshinecoastlightning.com.au. https://web.archive.org/web/20180319085739/https://sunshinecoastlightning.com.au/netball-australia-2017-award-winners/. 19 March 2018. 8 August 2020.
80. Web site: Netball Victoria – 2018 Annual Report. vic.netball.com.au. 10 January 2021.
81. Web site: Ryde Acknowledged at Australian Netball Awards. netball.com.au. 29 November 2019. 26 December 2021.
82. Web site: 2008 Annual Report - Netball Australia. netball.com.au. 11 June 2020.
83. Web site: 2009 New Idea Australian Netball League. www.netball.asn.au. https://web.archive.org/web/20110219112713/http://www.netball.asn.au/drawresult.asp?comp=12386&OrgID=1. 22 June 2020. 19 February 2011.
84. Web site: Deakin and Netball Australia announce national partnership. www.deakin.edu.au. 6 December 2017. 28 December 2021.