The Netball Quad Series is an annual international netball series contested by the national teams of Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa.
Current season, competition or edition: 2023 Netball Quad Series | |
 | |
| Sport | Netball |
|---|---|
| First season | 2016 |
| No. of teams | 4 |
| Most recent champion(s) |  Australia |
| Most titles | Australia (7 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | Fox Sports (Australia) Sky Sports (UK) Sky Sport (New Zealand) SuperSport (South Africa) |
Background
editIt's so important for international netball that we have these series just like you have the Six Nations and the Rugby Championship. You have to have that regular competition.[1]
— Lisa Alexander, Australian coach, "International netball gets its act together to finally launch Quad Series", Stuff
In December 2015, the governing bodies of netball in Australia, New Zealand, England and South Africa formed SANZEA, an international partnership of the four nations to organise a new international netball competition to be played on a regular basis.[2] The four governing bodies had discussed such a proposal in 2012, though it took four years before the partnership could be formalised. The purpose of the series is to provide the strongest netball nations with the opportunity to play regularly scheduled international test matches with meaningful outcomes for the players and competition.[1]
The series – originally referred to as the International Netball Super Series – was introduced to the public in March 2016, when SANZEA announced the schedule for the inaugural series, to be held later that year in mostly New Zealand venues.[3]
Format
editThe series is contested by four nations (Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa), with each nation to play one test match against their opponents. The nation that records the highest number of wins and the highest overall margin is considered the winner of the series. At this stage, SANZEA has agreed to conduct a reciprocal benefit scheme, whereby one series is played in Australia and/or New Zealand, and the following series is played in England and/or South Africa, before the process repeats over the following years. The inaugural series was hosted in Australian and New Zealand venues.[4] Since 2017 the series has mostly been played twice annually, once in the first half of the year in January/February (matches held in England and/or South Africa) and again in the second half of the year in August/September (matches held in Australia and New Zealand).[5] Only one series was held in 2019. Australia elected not to compete in January 2020, with the series replaced by the Netball Nations Cup, featuring the original three nations and Jamaica.[6] The series had been planned to recommence later that year, though this was forced to be abandoned due to travel restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]
Results
edit| Series | Winner | Second | Third | Fourth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Australia |
 New Zealand |
 England |
 South Africa
|
| 2017 (I) | Australia |
New Zealand |
England |
South Africa
|
| 2017 (II) | New Zealand |
Australia |
England |
South Africa
|
| 2018 (I) | Australia |
England |
New Zealand |
South Africa
|
| 2018 (II) | Australia |
England |
New Zealand |
South Africa
|
| 2019 | Australia |
England |
New Zealand |
South Africa
|
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] | |||
| 2022 | Australia |
England |
New Zealand |
South Africa
|
| 2023 | Australia
|
New Zealand
|
England
|
South Africa
|
Broadcasting
editQuad Series matches are broadcast in all four of the competing nations. In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports is the exclusive rights holder of all six matches in the series, the network broadcasting the 2016 series on Sky Sports Mix.[9] In Australia, the Nine Network broadcasts Australian matches on its digital mult-channel 9Gem.[10] Sky Sport broadcasts matches in New Zealand[11] and SuperSport is the exclusive broadcaster for South African audiences.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b "International netball gets its act together to finally launch Quad Series". stuff.co.nz. 25 August 2016.
- ^ "Leading netball nations form SANZEA partnership". Netball Australia. 17 December 2015.
- ^ "SANZEA launch International Netball Super Series". Netball New Zealand. 4 March 2016.
- ^ "SANZEA launch Super series". Netball New South Wales. 8 March 2016.
- ^ "Netball Australia Fixtures 2017". Netball Australia. 23 June 2017. Archived from the original on 23 June 2017.
- ^ "Vitality Roses to face Jamaica, New Zealand and South Africa in 2020". England Netball. 17 September 2019.
- ^ "Netball-Quad series cancelled due to coronavirus outbreak". Reuters. 31 May 2020.
- ^ "Netball's Quad Series cancelled due to coronavirus". Sky Sports. 31 May 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
- ^ "Sky Sports to show all six matches of Netball Quad Series". Sky Sports. 25 August 2016.
- ^ "Landmark broadcast deal". Netball Australia. 19 May 2016.
- ^ "Sky TV backs netball in New Zealand for a further five years". Sky Television. 16 May 2016.
- ^ "SuperSport renews deal with Netball South Africa". SuperSport. 29 June 2017.