Next Sunday's ANZ Premiership grand final will go ahead behind closed doors, Netball New Zealand has confirmed.
The defending champion Pulse will meet the first-time finalist Tactix at ILT Stadium in the finale of the domestic netball competition, but the Auckland-based teams Northern Mystics and Northern Stars, will not take part in the finals series due to the region's COVID-19 alert level 3 lockdown.
The fifth place playoff has also been cancelled, meaning the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic will not travel south.
Netball NZ chief executive Jennie Wyllie says the decision to continue with the grand final was determined by the Government’s announcement on Friday that the country’s alert levels will remain the same.
"Our team has been working incredibly hard behind the scenes to give us the opportunity to play the grand final in an environment that safely meets the guidelines from the Ministry," says Wyllie.
"We're pleased that we are still able to showcase the pinnacle match of the ANZ Premiership during a season that has tossed up so many challenges for players, management, fans and officials."
The fifth place playoff has been cancelled, meaning the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic will not travel south.
The final competition placings, aside from the grand final, have been determined by the points ladder at the end of round robin play.
The Mystics finished in third place (35 points) with the Stars in fourth (29) and the Steel (21) and Magic (19) fifth and sixth respectively.
Netball NZ also has plans underway with the Southern Steel to secure a curtain raiser match to take place before the grand final.
Wyllie says Netball NZ will continue to monitor the guidance from the Ministry of Health and Government.
"We feel confident in moving forward with the ANZ Premiership grand Final but will be closely following the advice from officials," she adds.
