The ANZ Premiership is New Zealand's top level national netball league, featuring 6 teams who compete for the annual championship.
From 2008 to 2016, netball teams from both New Zealand and Australia competed in the ANZ Championship. After the 2016 season, each country announced that it would form its own netball league. Suncorp Super Netball became the new Australian competition, and the ANZ Premiership became New Zealand's national league. The 5 existing teams from New Zealand continued into the new premiership, where they were joined by a new team from the greater Auckland area, the Northern Stars.
Netball is a highly popular sport in New Zealand, and the ANZ Premiership attracts fans to venues across the country. Since the founding of the league, several different teams have triumphed in the Grand Final. Southern Steel claimed the first 2 titles in 2017 and 2018. Pulse hold the record after claiming victory in 2019, 2020 and 2022. However, Northern Mystics are hot on their heels, having won the league in both 2021 and 2023.
League Format & Scoring
Each regular season of ANZ Premiership netball is played over 15 rounds, with each team contesting 15 games per season. During the regular season, every team plays each of the other teams 3 times, earning 3 points for a win or a bonus point for losing by 5 goals or fewer.
At the end of the season, the top ranked team is named the Minor Premiers. The second and third placed teams contest the Elimination Final, and the winner of this match goes on to play the Minor Premiers in the Grand Final. The team who wins this all-important matchup are declared the ANZ Premiership Champions.