2021 Netball Superleague season

The 2021 Netball Superleague season is scheduled to be the sixeenth season of the Netball Superleague, the elite domestic netball competition in the United Kingdom. The season is due to start on 12 February 2021.[1] Manchester Thunder were the defending champions, having won the 2019 season;[2] the 2020 season was cancelled after three rounds due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the first nine weeks of matches will be held at Studio 001 in Wakefield, and the remaining matches will be held at the Copper Box Arena in London. All matches will be held behind closed doors.

2021 Netball Superleague season
LeagueNetball Superleague
SportNetball
Number of teams11
Total attendance0
Average attendance0
2021 Netball Superleague season

Overview

Format

The Superleague will consist of 11 teams, as Leeds Rhinos have joined the league.[4] The 2021 season will use 12-minute quarters, reduced from 15-minute quarters previously, for player welfare reasons.[5] League stage matches can end in a draw; previously extra time was used to determine a winner. Each match day, teams can use a squad of 12 players.[6]

The fixture list consists of 20 rounds from 12 February to 21 June. The semi finals are scheduled for 26 June, and the Grand Final is scheduled for 27 June.[6] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all matches will be held behind closed doors.[1] All players will have to take COVID-19 tests twice a week.[5] The first nine weeks of matches will be held at Studio 001 in Wakefield, and the remaining matches will be held at the Copper Box Arena in London.[1] All matches will be broadcast on Sky Sports,[7] and will be scheduled two hours apart from each other so that they can all be televised.[5]

Teams
TeamBase
Celtic DragonsCardiff, Wales
Leeds RhinosLeeds, West Yorkshire
London PulseStratford, Greater London
Loughborough LightningLoughborough, Leicestershire
Manchester ThunderManchester, Greater Manchester
Saracens MavericksHatfield, Hertfordshire
Severn StarsWorcester, Worcestershire
Strathclyde SirensGlasgow, Scotland
Surrey StormGuildford, Surrey
Team BathBath, Somerset
Wasps NetballCoventry, West Midlands

Source:[8]

Squads

Each team was allowed to have 10 players, 9 of whom were covered by the sport's salary cap. In addition, teams could register an additional five training players. In total, squads were only allowed 2 non-EU players, and these players were not allowed to play in the same third of the court simultaneously. The player signing window ran from 17 August to 30 October 2020.[9]

During the player signing window, Australians Madi Browne and Donnell Wallam signed for Leeds Rhinos, South African Lefébre Rademan signed for London Pulse, and South African Ine-Marí Venter signed for Saracens Mavericks. Jamaican Malysha Kelly signed for Severn Stars, Jamaican Gezelle Allison signed for Wasps, and Zimbabwe captain Felisitus Kwangwa signed for Surrey Storm.[10] At domestic level, Leeds Rhinos signed English players Jade Clarke from Wasps and Vicki Oyesola from Loughborough Lightning. Beth Cobden signed for Loughborough Lightning.[4] Prior to the season, Manchester Thunder suspended one player for breaching COVID-19 restrictions on New Year's Eve 2020.[11]

Ladder
2021 Netball Superleague ladder
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Team Bath 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Qualified for the Finals series
2 Celtic Dragons 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 Leeds Rhinos 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 London Pulse 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 Loughborough Lightning 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 Manchester Thunder 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 Saracens Mavericks 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
8 Severn Stars 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
9 Strathclyde Sirens 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
10 Surrey Storm 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
11 Wasps 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Source: [12]

References
  1. "Netball Superleague to begin on 12 February with all matches behind closed doors". BBC Sport. 2 February 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  2. "Netball Superleague Grand Final: Manchester Thunder win 57-52 against Wasps". BBC Sport. 19 May 2019.
  3. "Netball Superleague: 2020 season terminated with immediate effect". BBC Sport. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  4. "Netball Superleague squads for the 2021 season". BBC Sport. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  5. "Twelve-minute quarters and two venues - Superleague season to return with a difference". The Daily Telegraph. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  6. "Vitality Netball Superleague 2021: Fixtures, venues and rules". Sky Sports. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  7. "England Netball signs multi-year broadcast partnership with Sky Sports". England Netball. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  8. "Fixtures & Results". Netball Superleague. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  9. "2021 Squads". Netball Superleague. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  10. "Vitality Netball Superleague's exciting new imports for 2021". Sky Sports. 11 November 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  11. "England Netball supports decision to suspend player who breached Covid restrictions on New Year's Eve". The Daily Telegraph. 4 January 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  12. "Table". Netball Superleague. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
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