Domestic league goal as men take centre court
History will be made when the Northern Mystics and Northern Stars men’s teams square up before the ANZ Premiership match between the Mystics and Southern Steel today.
Not only is it the first time in New Zealand that a men’s netball franchise have played alongside the women’s competition live on television, it’s also a world first.
Mystics men’s captain Kruze Tangira said he was hoping for a fierce contest against their crosstown rivals to demonstrate how exciting men’s netball can be.
“It’s going to be tough, [the Stars] have got experience all over the court,” Tangira told the Weekend Herald.
“We are really putting everything on the line for this game because we want to showcase men’s netball in the best light possible.”
Despite the continued success of the entertaining annual series in which the Silver Ferns take on the Aotearoa Men, there has never been an opportunity for a men’s domestic league of the same calibre as the ANZ Premiership.
Tangira, an experienced Aotearoa Men’s player, hopes that continued exposure for men’s netball can help New Zealand lead the way.
“We want to showcase that this is a viable competition and something like the ANZ Premiership for men could happen here in Aotearoa,” he said.
While today’s match is a one-off invitational, Tangira is optimistic a strong showing could encourage other ANZ Premiership franchises to create their own men’s teams.
He was heartened by the strong turnout at the Mystics’ open trials this year, which attracted players from around the country.
“We wanted to have an open trial so people from all different backgrounds could come and experience what it’s like to trial for a team like the Mystics men.
“It was really good to see new faces in that environment as well.”
The accessibility of the game is one of the most important things for Tangira, and the creation of franchise teams would only add to the growing opportunities for men’s netball in Aotearoa.
He’s sure that today’s match against the Stars is going to be an invigorating display of what men’s netball has to offer.
“It’s going to be hugely competitive, probably bodies flying everywhere,” he says. “We really want to create opportunities for men’s players around Aotearoa and make it easy for them to access as well.”