The Netball Superleague returns for a season unlike any other
The Netball Superleague is back after almost a year away.
It's going to be a season unlike any other.
Matches will be behind closed doors in one central venue, each quarter is shorter and some rounds will be played on consecutive days.
The first half of the season will be played in Wakefield in Yorkshire and the latter rounds in the Copperbox Arena in London.
Two sides from the South West, Team Bath and Severn Stars will be among those competing for the title and both play two matches on the opening weekend:
Round 1 - Saturday 13th February
Team Bath v Celtic Dragons 4pm
Strathclyde Sirens v Severn Stars 6pm
Round 2 - Sunday 14th February
Team Bath v Loughborough Lightning 2pm
Severn Stars v Wasps 6pm
Severn Stars Head Coach Melissa Bessell says the opportunity to play is a great privilege and she has spoken to her side about the responsibility that comes with it.
"We're not just playing for ourselves, for our families, for our franchise, we're playing for just about every little girl out there that wants to partake in the sport and hasn't been able to.
"So this is bigger, this is so much bigger than what I ever expected."
There are still plenty of hurdles to overcome but as Stars captain Liana Leota points out, every team is facing similar obstacles, the sides able to overcome those are the ones who'll succeed this campaign.
"We're not used to playing double headers, we haven't seen teams play, we haven't played against a lot of teams so we're all going to be learning on the run but I suppose that's the exciting thing."
Returning to the court for Team Bath is England Captain Serena Guthrie, she took a break from the sport last season which she says has helped her become a more well-rounded person.
The time away has made the prospect of playing for Bath again all the more exciting for Guthrie but she says she's also aware of the burden every club member bears.
"It's quite stressful when you think about it, you don't want to be the person who delays the league or takes away an opportunity for a teammate to play.
There are strict covid protocols in place to keep players and staff safe including regular testing at every club.
"Whilst at the moment it's pretty easy to be locked away as everyone else is but we're going to have to try and be more careful than ever when people start coming out and about in a more relaxed way."
For the first time in the league's history every single game will be shown live on Sky Sports, it's had to fight for survival over the last 12 months but now the battle for the title begins.