Fast5 Netball World Series

Before 2008, the major competitions in international netball were the quadrennial Netball World Championships (renamed Netball World Cup in 2015) and the netball event of the quadrennial Commonwealth Games. First-tier national teams also participated in yearly test series, with others playing in regional events. However, several significant changes in international netball occurred in 2008. Changes to international test rules were finalised at a World Netball (WN) congress in Auckland in 2007, and progressively rolled out across netball-playing countries the following year.{{cite news |author=ONE Sport (New Zealand) |title=Rule changes set to impact |publisher=TVNZ |url=http://tvnz.co.nz/content/1605547 |date=27 February 2008 |access-date=10 February 2009}} WN also introduced a new world rankings system to compare the performances of national teams.{{cite web|title=IFNA: World Rankings |url=http://www.netball.org/ifna.aspx?id=94 |access-date=22 December 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519025332/http://www.netball.org/IFNA.aspx?id=94 |archive-date=19 May 2011 }} In England, a campaign was started advocating netball's inclusion in the Olympic Games, as a demonstration sport in 2012 and potentially as a competitive sport from 2016.{{cite news |title=Netball targeting Olympic status |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/netball/7367670.stm |date=25 April 2008 |access-date=10 February 2009}} In the Southern Hemisphere, the sport attained semi-professional status in Australia and New Zealand with the introduction of the ANZ Championship.{{cite news |author=Australian Associated Press |title=Professional era coming soon: Ellis |newspaper=The Age |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/Sport/New-netball-comp-named-ANZ-Championship/2007/10/09/1191695867800.html |date=9 October 2007 |access-date=3 April 2008}}{{cite news |last=Johannsen |first=Dana |title=Glitz and hype turn netball into money game |newspaper=The New Zealand Herald |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/4/story.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10500820 |date=29 March 2008 |access-date=30 June 2008}}

Also, in December 2008 a new international netball competition was announced, the World Netball Series, to be contested in 2009 under modified rules. The new rules had been trialed by England junior and senior squads over a 12-month period.{{cite news |last=Johannsen |first=Dana |title=Innovations sure to raise eyebrows |newspaper=The New Zealand Herald |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10555248 |date=5 February 2009 |access-date=5 February 2009}} DVDs were sent to coaches of the participating teams for consultation. Some of the new rules were announced in December 2008, including six-minute playing quarters and power plays;{{cite news|title=Malawi Queens to play in Manchester, World Series |publisher=Nyasa Times |url=http://www.nyasatimes.com/entertainment/sport/netball/2053.html |date=2 December 2008 |access-date=5 February 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205081022/http://www.nyasatimes.com/entertainment/sport/netball/2053.html |archive-date=5 December 2008 }} others were announced in February 2009.

Prior to the 2012 edition the rules were revamped and renamed Fast5.[https://archive.today/20130105113750/http://nz.sports.yahoo.com/netball/fast-five/news/article/-/15327205/expect-the-unexpected-at-the-fast5/ Expect the unexpected at the Fast5] nz.sports.yahoo.com, 8 November 2012

The competition is held over two days, and is played under Fast5 rules. Each team plays each other once during the first two days in a round-robin format. The four highest-scoring teams from this stage progress to the finals, played on the final day of competition, in which the 1st-ranked team plays the 4th-ranked team, while 2nd plays 3rd. The winners of these two matches contest the Grand Final; the remaining teams contest the third- and fifth-place playoffs.{{cite web |title=Calling All Netball Fans! |publisher=IFNA |url=http://www.netball.org/news.aspx?id=293 |date=3 April 2009 |access-date=11 April 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110314190028/http://www.netball.org/news.aspx?id=293 |archive-date=14 March 2011 }}

The first three editions of the tournament were held in England. Initially, Manchester was to host all three seasons in England at the MEN Arena. The venue is the largest indoor arena in Europe, capable of seating around 20,000 spectators.{{cite web |title=MEN Arena: History |url=http://www.men-arena.com/about/?page_id=68 |access-date=7 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090419023905/http://www.men-arena.com/about/?page_id=68 |archive-date=19 April 2009 |url-status=dead }} However, the 2010 tournament was held in Liverpool at the Echo Arena, as was the 2011 tournament.

File:MEN Arena.jpg|2009: MEN Arena, Manchester (UK)

File:Echo Arena Liverpool at night.jpg|2010–2011: Echo Arena, Liverpool (UK)

File:Vector court.jpg|2012–2014: Vector Arena, Auckland (NZ)

File:Hisense Arena January 2016.jpg|2016–2018: John Cain Arena, Melbourne (AUS)

File:Christchurch Arena.jpg|2022–2024 Christchurch Arena, Christchurch (NZ)

The World Netball Series is organized by a local organizing committee and overseen by World Netball, in conjunction with the national governing bodies of the six competing nations each year.

Australian coach Norma Plummer greeted the new tournament positively: "If you want your sport to keep growing these days, it's got to become up with the times and keep having innovations that make the game exciting for not only the players, but all the spectators."{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Rebecca |title=Game to be shortened |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |url=http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,25011208-5001023,00.html |date=5 February 2009 |access-date=5 February 2009}} But Plummer also expressed some reservations about power plays being used against substantially weaker teams, and also about penalty shootouts and the new centre pass rule.{{cite news |last=Warren |first=Adrian |title=Netball to try short game format |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |url=http://news.smh.com.au/sport/netball-to-try-short-game-format-20081201-6ooq.html |date=1 December 2008 |access-date=10 February 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202064809/http://news.smh.com.au/sport/netball-to-try-short-game-format-20081201-6ooq.html |archive-date=2 December 2008 }}

Netball New Zealand (NNZ) Chief Executive Raelene Castle stated that she was "excited about what the new competition could bring to the ever-increasing profile of Netball internationally".{{cite web |title=Silver Ferns to take part in World Netball Series |publisher=Netball New Zealand |url=http://www.netballnz.co.nz/default.aspx?s=articledisplay&id=66991 |date=5 February 2009 |access-date=10 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225221602/http://netballnz.co.nz/default.aspx?s=articledisplay&id=66991 |archive-date=25 February 2009 |url-status=dead }} However, Castle also acknowledged that the shortened version of the game "may not be for everyone". New Zealand netball and basketball player Donna Wilkins also stated her concerns about the sport becoming too similar to basketball.{{cite news |last=Miles |first=Penny |title=Netball changes opposed |publisher=The Dominion Post |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/netball/2275027/Netball-changes-opposed |date=19 March 2009 |access-date=23 March 2009}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website|http://fast5worldseries.com.au/}}
• [https://netball.sport/events-and-results/fast5 Past results] from the INF
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20090902182903/http://www.netballonline.com/Comps/WorldNetballSeries/tabid/298/Default.aspx WNS Coverage from NetballOnline.com]
• [http://www.netballimages.com/World-Netball-Series World Netball Series Images]{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

{{Fast5 Netball World Series}}

{{International netball competitions}}

Category:International netball competitions

Category:Recurring sporting events established in 2009

Category:Fast5 netball