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ABC News
18-05-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
What's stopping the super shot from being introduced to international netball?
From controversial beginnings to global domination, the two-point shot has now infiltrated all four top netball leagues around the world. In 2020, there was uproar when Australia became the first country to boldly introduce the innovation inspired by netball's shorter and flashier format — Fast 5. League organisers dropped the bombshell six weeks before the season started. Clubs had already recruited players, teams were in the depths of pre-season, and they were blindsided by the scoring adaptation that would shake up the game. The timing was interesting considering the competition that year had already been delayed because of the COVID pandemic, everyone had to move to Queensland in a hub, and there were other new rules already being added like timeouts, rolling subs and extra time. It felt like too much all at once. Australian Netball Players' Association president Jo Weston worried a two-point shot would alienate existing fans, delivering the iconic line: "There are only so many bells and whistles you can add to a bike before it becomes a clown car." She wasn't alone. There was angst across all eight clubs. Some thought the adaptions made netball too much like basketball. The players — who consider themselves to be key stakeholders of the game — felt they should have at least had a say. Those in charge argued it was just a trial to see if it would entice new fans. Whether it was successful is hard to say, because the league has never divulged any key metrics that would demonstrate its success or revealed whether the "trial" met its targets. The new rule simply rolled on with the rest of the innovations and here we are five years on. Now it seems there's no going back. Especially since other countries have also jumped on board. Originally, they mocked us overseas and yet, in 2025, the UK Super League, the New Zealand Premiership and the South African Netball League have all introduced a two-point shot for fear of falling behind. "I think they've ruined Super Netball by introducing it," former Silver Fern Storm Purvis told SEN New Zealand in April 2020. "I'm trying so hard not to laugh because I genuinely find this quite hysterical, you're sabotaging your national team," former England Rose Sara Francis-Bayman told the Netball Nation podcast two months later. This is not a knock on either expert, because hindsight is 20/20. More so just an interesting reflection of the changing attitudes towards the scoring adaption. Commercially, it helps that money talks and each league has managed to secure extra sponsorship for the naming rights of its two-point goal. The world number one ranked Aussie Diamonds team has also been able to claim back their Commonwealth Games gold medal and Netball World Cup crown since 2020, indicating it's possible to make rule changes at a domestic level and not let it impact you internationally. The UK Super League has replicated the exact same timing and distance as Super Netball. In the last five minutes of each quarter, two points are on offer in the designated arc painted 3 metres away from the goal post. The New Zealand Premiership runs on the same timing. However, in order to make it a tougher challenge, they've pushed their arc back to the Fast 5 distance — 3.5 metres away. South Africa has been the first to really stretch the concept. The winner of the coin toss that determines which team takes the first centre pass also now gets to decide whether double points will be on offer for the last two minutes of the first or third quarter. ABC Sport was unable to confirm the distance of their arc; visually it appears to be 3.5 metres away. So, given it is so widespread, will World Netball add a super shot to its international game? Diamonds midcourter and Melbourne Vixens captain Kate Moloney's stance may have softened over the past five Super Netball seasons, but she is still reluctant to see it in Test matches. "It's interesting how it's been adopted in other leagues, and it does show we're doing something right here in Australia if they want to copy that," Moloney told ABC Sport. "I love international netball the way it is and hopefully it stays that way, but the super shot has added something exciting domestically and my opinion has changed on it because I can see the excitement from a fan point of view." Retired umpire Michelle Phippard's experience at the highest level spanned two decades. Asked whether the super shot could feasibly be introduced to international netball, Phippard reflected on the privilege associated with such a question. There are 75 members governed by World Netball with varying degrees of facilities and funding. "There's one rule book and that applies to the game at all levels, so there would be huge logistical issues … you would have to go through and remark every netball court," Phippard said. "The costs involved in getting all the courts repainted would be enormous. Who pays for that? "When I lived in Switzerland or in the US for instance, at training each week we'd have to mark out all the lines on basketball courts with pieces of string. "We take for granted our venues here with gazillions of courts and would probably have less issues getting them remarked, but in other countries, there's no way. "That would be one big barrier to it internationally and if the game did want to introduce it, it would probably need to consider separating the rules at the top from community." This is a great point, because if the game decided to go ahead without separating its rule books, further repercussions would be felt at your local courts. There would be an added layer of complexity around central timing for associations and when it comes to umpires indicating correctly a 'one' or a 'two', a recent UK Super League example showed even the professionals have struggled to get the hand signals right. We also need to consider whether it would be fair for other nations that don't get the opportunity to practice this kind of innovation back home. "We underestimate how hard it is for some countries to adapt," Phippard said. "Even with Fast 5 Netball, at the beginning of the week there are so many practice matches that take place, so the players, umpires and coaches have time to learn the rules. "In Australia and New Zealand, they would just run a camp leading in, but in Uganda, Malawi or Jamaica, they would have to learn as they go along. "It's more than just the long shot itself, it's learning the defensive strategies to counter it and across those top four professional leagues you're lucky if there's maybe six countries represented. "At a World Cup there's 16 countries, and some will have no exposure at all, so they will be really disadvantaged and that could widen the gap." When ABC Sport reached out to World Netball to get some clarity about their plans moving forward, we received this tight-lipped response. "The World Netball Rules Advisory Panel is responsible for recommending rules changes to the World Netball Board," its statement read. "During an official rules review, World Netball welcomes member associations and World Netball Technical Panels to submit proposals for changes to the rules of netball, which allows the Rules Advisory Panel to then begin a consultation and trialling process, before presenting suggested rules changes for World Netball members to vote on. "For the 2025 domestic season World Netball has been consulted and notes that England Netball, Netball Australia, Netball New Zealand and Netball South Africa have introduced various rules variations to their elite domestic leagues, including the super shot. "World Netball is in communication with all four members and is working to gather data in relation to the implementation of various rules variations within their leagues. "This type of information is invaluable to inform future strategic directions, and to assist with rule reviews, policy, and procedure development." The governing body is certainly open to changes. The last ones it made were voted on at the 2023 Netball World Cup and implemented at the start of 2024. Some of these included modifications to the short pass rule and substitutions to resemble something closer to rolling subs. There was also a crackdown on dangerous play, that has increased two-minute suspensions and send-offs. But would the typically conservative World Netball be bold enough to incorporate a super shot? That's another question. Watch this space.
The Citizen
11-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Hoërskool Dinamika netball star rising through the ranks
From the moment she started playing netball in Grade R; Chelsea Axsel knew she had found her passion. With a strong love for the game and a hardworking spirit, she's been growing her talent ever since. Now only 16, the talented Hoërskool Dinamika learner is already making a name for herself in South African netball. Captaining her school team with pride, Chelsea has grown through every tournament, pass and challenge. Whether she's making game-winning interceptions or encouraging her teammates, her presence is undeniable. Chelsea has worked to rise through the ranks. As a standout player at Hoërskool Dinamika, she has competed in high profile tournaments like Gauteng Schools Netball, South African Schools Netball, and the Fast 5 national tournament, where her team placed second in the country in 2024. In their recent tour to Paarl, they won seven out of eight matches against Cape Town's top schools. Chelsea also captained the invitational squad representing South Africa at the HSBC U19 Youth Cup in Dubai in November 2024, where they finished in the international top four. This was the moment that solidified her ambition: 'My dream is to represent South Africa as a Protea player, starting with climbing the ranks as a provincial player,' Chelsea shared. Behind her success is a busy schedule and a team of supportive mentors. 'My days are full,' she said. 'I attend school until 14:00 every day, then I have school netball practice until 16:00. Thursdays are for league matches and Fridays and some Saturdays are served for private coaching or other activities.' Her private coach, Candice Allen, an former Jaguars player and owner of Pivot Netball Academy is a major influence. 'Candice inspires me. She shares her knowledge, makes me feel seen and believes in me even when I don't. I'm also blessed with a strong school coach, coach Karen Bezuidenhout, who pushes us to always give our best. She works us hard and holds us accountable for our success.' Candice praised Chelsea's perseverance: 'I've never been more proud of her. She's faced challenges that could have derailed her, like her Achilles tendon injury in grade Eight, but she never gave up. She works hard and grows in every part of her life. She's not only one of my best players but one of the strongest people I know.' Despite the physical toll of her sport, including that Achilles injury she sustained during the Affies tournament, Chelsea has stayed disciplined and focused on recovery while still excelling on the court. Off the court, she's just as involved. As the eldest of four siblings, Chelsea is a natural leader at home. At school, she thrives academically and socially. She's a top 10 academic achiever who loves biology and enjoys physical and hands on subjects. She also participates in athletics, girls' cricket, public speaking and fashion shows. Earlier this year, she co-founded Namies FM, the school's radio station, which she now hosts. Chelsea enjoys baking, watching rugby and netball and listening to music in her spare time. But most importantly, she's surrounded by unwavering family support. 'As a family, we stand firmly behind Chelsea's dream,' says her mother, Jenna Axsel. 'We know it's not easy, but we're there for her-driving her to matches, helping with schoolwork and cheering her on. Chelsea may be chasing her dream, but she knows she's never doing it alone.' At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
NZ Herald
09-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Former Black Fern coaching East Coast women's rugby team
She acknowledges the talent, flair, athleticism, heart that can't be taught and natural instinct for the game players in the region possess. She sees a big part of the coaching and management team's job as being to connect those attributes with learning and knowledge. 'Ngati Porou wāhine are strong-minded, proud, hold themselves in a certain way,' she said. Ngata-Aerengamate has Ngati Porou ancestry on her mother's side of the family and Cook Islands heritage on her father's side. She was born in Henderson. 'My philosophy is to be make sure everyone in our environment is authentic because all of the players have a special skill and are in a place where they can do their best. 'I want to value people on and off the field. Ted [2011 World Cup-winning head coach Sir Graham Henry] said that 'men play well to feel good, women have to feel good to play well', and how people make you feel is important. 'Our coaching and leadership group wants to build a rapport and trust with the players - learn the people first.' NPEC union immediate past president Campbell Dewes, principal of Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Kawakawa Mai Tawhiti, spoke of Ngata-Aerengamate's quality as a down-to-earth role model and mentor to young people on a day-to-day basis. 'A person of her calibre, experience and achievement - we're delighted that she's come home. Her family's been heavily involved with the performing arts, so she's bilingual, a natural fit with the culture of Ngati Porou. We're very fortunate to have someone with her character leading Hamoterangi.' Ngata-Aerengamate, who is living in Te Araroa and working fulltime for the union, is establishing networks while also coaching and fostering participation in schools through Rippa Rugby, Fast 5 and 7s tournaments. She is also playing for Tokararangi this season. 'My vision and hope for our team are even representation from each of our five clubs - Hikurangi, Tokararangi, Tihirau Victory Club, Waiapu and Ruatōria City. 'We want the knowledge going back into the clubs. This year is about planting seeds, getting buy-in, to help our people progress from being club players to provincial players, and as they come into our environment, year by year, we'll push that. 'I'm looking forward to working with our union, management, leadership group and players to come up with what works best for us to reach the pinnacle of success in rugby for our iwi.'
