Steel announce Southern Showdown preseason event for Dunedin

16 February 2024

Southern netball fans will get to critique the preseason progress of five ANZ Premiership teams next month.

The Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel will host its inaugural Southern Showdown tournament in Dunedin from March 22 to 24.

The MG Mystics, Avis Magic, Te Wānanga o Raukawa Pulse and Trident Homes Tactix will each venture south for the event, to be staged at the Edgar Centre.

Steel chief executive Sonya Fleming was eagerly anticipating a weekend of elite netball action. “One of the best things about preseason games is the unknown. It's not uncommon for teams to keep their cards close to their chest so to speak and that adds an exciting new dynamic. Often, it’s a chance for fans to see combinations which are being tested,” she said.

“The stars of New Zealand netball will be converging on the south for a weekend of action and we’re rapt to be able to showcase our sport and allow our netball community the chance to see it all unfold.”

The Steel team had been training strongly in preparation for the premiership’s opening round in April. “The potential I can already see emerging in this group of athletes is fantastic. There’s something truly special about the start of any campaign as you witness those connections and team values being cemented,” Fleming said.

“The final piece will be taking the court against our opposition at the Southern Showdown to see how we stack up. It would be amazing to do that in front of a parochial home crowd.”

Tickets and three-day passes are on sale from today (February 16, 2024) online at www.iticket.co.nz or the Edgar Centre.