Fresh from their World Cup victory, the Australian Diamonds will be joined by the Australian Men’s Netball team in double-header matches this October across Australia and New Zealand.
The men’s three-match Trans-Tasman Cup will coincide with the Diamonds’ 2023 Constellation Cup campaign against the New Zealand Silver Ferns.
The Australian men will officially introduce themselves as the Kelpies when they compete against the New Zealand men’s team in front of Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland crowds.
While the Diamonds will be looking to claim back-to-back Constellation Cup victories, on the back of claiming their biggest World Cup win in almost three decades in Cape Town this week.
The double-headers will commence Thursday 12 October at Melbourne’s John Cain Arena with match two to follow at Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Sunday 15 October.
The series will then cross the Tasman with the final men’s game at Spark Arena in Auckland on Monday 23 October.
Australians will be able to watch all three of the Kelpies’ Trans-Tasman Cup matches for free and live on Kayo Freebies.
President of the Australian Men’s and Mixed Netball Association, Andrew Simons, expressed his enthusiasm for the future of the Kelpies.
“After the success of our breakthrough year in 2022, it remains vital for our men to be seen on the big stage,” he said.
“In the past year alone, netball participation rates in men have increased by 40 percent. We are excited to showcase our amazing athletes and look forward to the Kelpies providing inspiration for boys around Australia and the world to pick up a netball and start playing the game we love.”
Australia currently holds both the Trans-Tasman Cup and Constellation Cup.
“We are thrilled to showcase the Kelpies on the elite stage this October,” said Netball Australia Executive General Manager Strategy, Government and Community Glenn Turnor.
“Men’s participation in netball is a growth area for our sport and after our Australian men’s success at the Trans-Tasman Cup in 2022, we know this year’s matches will be just as hotly contested.
“We look forward to seeing fans across Australia get behind the Kelpies as they continue to make history for men’s netball.”
Tickets for the Constellation Cup and Trans-Tasman Cup will go on pre-sale to Suncorp Super Netball club members and Netball Nation subscribers on Monday 14 August from 11:00am AEST.
Following this, registered netball participants from state Member Organisations will be able to access tickets from 5:00pm AEST.
General Public tickets will go on sale on Tuesday 15 August 11:00am AEST through Ticketek.
The Constellation Cup and Trans-Tasman Cup will be broadcast live and exclusively in Australia on Fox Sports, available through Foxtel and Kayo Freebies.
Constellation Cup times and locations:
- Diamonds v Silver Ferns, Thursday 12 October at John Cain Arena (Melbourne), 7:30pm AEDT
- Diamonds v Silver Ferns, Sunday 15 October at Brisbane Entertainment Centre (Brisbane), 6:30pm AEST
- Diamonds v Silver Ferns, Thursday 19 October at ILT Stadium Southland (Invercargill), 7:30pm NZDST
- Diamonds v Silver Ferns, Monday 23 October at Spark Arena (Auckland), 4:00pm NZDST
Trans-Tasman Cup times and locations:
- Kelpies v New Zealand, Thursday 12 October at John Cain Arena (Melbourne), 5:30pm AEDT
- Kelpies v New Zealand, Sunday 15 October at Brisbane Entertainment Centre (Brisbane), 4:30pm AEST
- Kelpies v New Zealand, Monday 23 October at Spark Arena (Auckland), 2:00pm NZDST
