Suncorp Super Netball fans are set to watch their teams live in action in 2021 with the league today announcing its intention to complete a full 14-week home and away season followed by a three-week finals series.
The plans for the 2021 season will see each team host seven home games, with the number of fans able to access each match depending on health authority advice in each jurisdiction.
The news comes as the league today confirmed that the 2021 Suncorp Super Netball season will begin on Saturday 1 May and culminate with the Grand Final on Sunday 29 August.
League management are currently working with clubs and broadcasters on the 2021 fixture with the intent to release a full fixture in late February including scheduled times, venues and broadcast information for only the first month of matches to ensure some flexibility with the ever-changing COVID situation.
Netball Australia Chief Commercial Officer and Acting Executive General Manager of Suncorp Super Netball Dave Lee is excited to be announcing the start date of the 2021 season.
“To have the season start date locked away is fantastic – it gives the entire league some certainty about what we’re all working towards and fans can start the countdown to when they’ll next be seeing their teams live in action as we work towards having fans at every game this season,” he said.
“Following on from the 2020 season which was delivered in a hub in Queensland, the intent is to deliver the 2021 competition in standard format of home and away matches around the country, providing fans from across Australia the opportunity to watch live matches again.
“With the potential for the pandemic to again impact the season, possibly leading to border closures at short notice, we understand we need to have as much flex as possible in our contingency planning and that changes may need to be made to the fixture during the season, but our team and the entire league are prepared to again be working in a very fluid environment.”
The league has also confirmed that the annual Team Girls Cup pre-season tournament will not take place in 2021.
“The decision has been made, in conjunction with clubs, to not go ahead with the Team Girls Cup this year due to the uncertainty that the pandemic presents around border closures and the risks associated with bringing all eight teams to the one location," Lee added. "We also needed to prioritise the rescheduling of the Constellation Cup test series which impacted this decision.
“It’s unfortunate for this call to have been made but we hope to see the Team Girls Cup return in 2022 and Suncorp Super Netball clubs will each be organising and playing their own practice matches in the lead-up to the season, potentially providing opportunities for fans to see their teams on court ahead of the 2021 season.”
The 2021 Suncorp Super Netball season will again be broadcast live on Nine, Telstra TV and the Netball Live Official App.
