Australian Netball League grows with addition of Victorian Flames
The Australian Netball League (ANL) will extend to an eleven team competition with the addition of a second Victorian team, Victorian Flames, for the 2013 season.
The under-pinning competition to the ANZ Championship, the ANL features teams from every state and territory around the country and provides players, coaches, umpires and officials a pathway between State League and trans-Tasman competition.
Victoria has dominated since the competition’s inception in 2008 with the Victorian Fury winning three consecutive ANL Premierships (2008, 2009, 2010) and finishing runners up in 2011.
“Netball Victoria has demonstrated to us their ability to field two sustainable teams in the Victorian Fury and Victorian Flames,” said Netball Australia Head of Sport Development and Performance AnneMarie Phippard.
“With the second largest player pool in the country, a second Victorian team will provide them with the chance to extend their player development opportunities to the next tier of young talent.”
Netball Victoria Chief Executive Officer Michelle Plane said the second team will have a focus on development.
“Victoria has a long-standing reputation of talent and success and ‘flames’ symbolises the rising of a new group of brilliant athletes to represent our state and hopefully continue this tradition,” Plane said.
“This is a very exciting opportunity for more Victorian netballers, coaches and officials to compete in a top level competition, develop their skills and represent the state at a national level.”
The 2013 Australian Netball League draw will be announced in the new year.
