Super League 2.0 - How Has Netball's Relaunch Gone?

A lick of overgarment aliases thing much substantial? As nan first Netball Super League play since its relaunch reaches a climax pinch Sunday's Grand Final, what has changed?

Player salary rises averaging astir 60% person only led a mini contingent to perpetrate to full-time professionalism.

So wherever is nan growth, wherever mightiness it travel next, and what other has been happening?

Netball's large time retired astatine nan O2 successful London offers a timely infinitesimal to analyse really nan master broadside of nan athletics successful nan UK - specifically England and Wales - is evolving.

Trimming nan convention from 10 to 8 teams for this play progressive controversially cutting sides from Guildford, Bath and Worcester, positive Scotland's lone representative, Glasgow-based Strathclyde Sirens.

Teams sprung up successful Nottingham and Birmingham - Forest and Panthers finishing 5th and sixth respectively - arsenic nan convention looked to go a big-city operation, pinch its stronghold successful England, fixed England Netball is nan league's organisers.

Loughborough Lightning are outliers successful a consciousness - a university-based squad pinch a agelong way grounds of success.

Bath, besides pinch assemblage ties, enjoyed immense occurrence earlier losing their spot successful nan elite, but Loughborough surely person greater security. England Netball has its office successful nan Leicestershire town, and nan squad proceed to group precocious standards.

A 5th consecutive quality successful nan Grand Final - pinch London Pulse their opponents - showed nan squad led by coach Vic Burgess stay an exemplar for convention newcomers and established sides alike.

The season's opening nighttime served up a sadistic reminder that netball players consequence superior wounded each clip they return to nan court.

Teams are offering amended training accommodation and much opportunities to walk clip successful nan gym, but women successful athletics stay acold much susceptible to non-contact superior injuries than men.

That was highlighted erstwhile London Mavericks' Vicki Oyesola crumpled to nan tribunal level aft landing a small awkwardly against Cardiff Dragons.

It was nan dreaded anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee injury, nan bane of galore a netballer's profession - a season-ender connected time one.

NSL says women are six times much apt to prolong specified a non-contact wounded than men, while a National Ligament Registry study has shown location are only much ACLs suffered by women successful skiing than successful netball.

More setbacks person followed, pinch Birmingham Panthers extremity shooter Sigi Burger suffering a complete tear of her medial collateral ligament.

Manchester Thunder skipper Amy Carter, who is simply a inferior expert and missed nan 2022 play pinch an ACL injury, explained to BBC Sport why netballers suffer truthful badly.

"It's a fewer different things. Your hips are a small spot wider, your knees are a spot person together, you're much apt to do your ACL," Carter said.

"You've sewage nan menstrual rhythm to return into account, which tin summation your consequence erstwhile you're connected your period. The quality of nan game, nan alteration of directions, nan precocious impact, nan stopping still consecutive away, that tin besides lend to it."

Research continues into really players mightiness mitigate risk, but knees are not nan only problem. Panthers' Gabby Marshall retired successful May after a 2nd concussion wounded successful a month.

More than 50% of games person been played successful awesome arenas this play and location has been a crisp climb successful attendances.

Average regular-season crowds person been estimated astatine astir 1,500 successful 2024, and convention officials announced location was a 42% emergence this year.

For a first play of nan alleged NSL 2.0 era, nan emergence signals beardown progress.

As an intriguing comparison, nan first play of Women's Super League shot pursuing a akin reboot successful 2014 resulted successful mean crowds of 728 (from 562 successful 2013).

The move to move nan Grand Final from Birmingham to London's O2 reflected an ambition to spot netball played successful nan biggest imaginable indoor venues.

The 'think big' attack has been clear each play and England Netball said summons income mean nan season-ending showpiece will beryllium nan best-attended netball arena successful England since 2002.

The preamble of a two-point ace changeable this play raised eyebrows.

In play for nan last 5 minutes of each quarter, NSL hoped it would lead to person matches. There was besides nan imaginable it could spark thrilling comebacks aliases blowout wins.

Some players and coaches liked nan idea, immoderate did not. NSL has contentedly reported a 23% summation successful games pinch little than a five-goal winning margin.

Off nan court, nan Women's Sport Trust said NSL enjoyed a 524% summation successful TikTok views amid a push to link pinch imaginable caller instrumentality bases.

But location are issues to examine, pinch video adjunct referee (VAR) exertion worthy of ongoing discussion.

Leeds Rhinos were upset erstwhile they controversially mislaid to Birmingham Panthers successful May.

Rhinos were beaten 71-69 aft other clip but felt they deserved nan triumph successful regularisation clip aft what they believed was a two-point ace changeable was only credited arsenic a one-point shot.

Replays appeared to backmost up Rhinos' claims, but location was nary contiguous recourse without VAR, pinch convention rules preventing nan result of a lucifer being altered aft nan event. All alternatively unsatisfactory, and nutrient for thought for those pushing nan athletics forward.