Brunei, Thailand to join Singapore's Netball Super League next year
The competition in next year's Netball Super League (NSL) will be taken up a notch as the league will feature foreign national teams for the first time.
Brunei and Thailand will join six teams - five clubs and Netball Singapore (NS) selection team Mission Mannas - in the second round of the tournament on Feb 23, said NS chief executive Cyrus Medora yesterday.
The NSL, the highest level of competition in Singapore, is slated to start on Jan 23, subject to approval from the authorities amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Medora was speaking at online event The Courtside, which was streamed live on the NS Facebook page. Other speakers included national netball captain Charmaine Soh, head coach Annette Bishop and sports business group leader for Deloitte South-east Asia James Walton.
DEVELOPMENT OF SPORT
Medora said the presence of foreign national teams presents a higher level of competition for local clubs and will help the development of netball in the region so it becomes a mainstay at the SEA Games.
Brunei and Thailand were joint-bronze medal winners in the past three editions of the biennial Games.
Malaysia are two-time defending champions, while Singapore won gold on home soil in 2015 after the sport emerged from a 14-year hiatus at the Games.
Other plans for next year include a Test series each against Malaysia and Sri Lanka, and a revamped Nations Cup featuring five teams instead of the usual six: two Singapore sides - the national Opens and A-teams - and three foreign national teams.
Bishop said this will encourage more players to want to get involved and gain more experience, promoting healthy competition.
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