Australian Diamonds netball team will return to Newcastle in October for England series
In a major coup for Hunter sport, the Aussie Diamonds netball team will return to Newcastle to play arch rivals England later this year. Get all the details!
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The Aussie Diamonds netball team will return to Newcastle to play arch rivals England later this year in a major coup for Hunter sport.
It’s been more than 1000 days since the Diamonds played on home soil - the 2019 Constellation Cup - but this time they’ll play under head coach Stacey Marinkovich for a host of games in October.
They’ll first travel across the ditch for the first two Constellation Cup matches scheduled in New Zealand before returning to host the Silver Ferns at Melbourne, then heading to the Gold Coast for the final match.
Following a few days rest, the Diamonds will then begin a three-match England series against the Roses at Newcastle Entertainment Centre before playing the last two games at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena, and the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.
“City of Newcastle is a proud supporter of women’s sport and we are thrilled to be welcoming some of the best netballers in the world to Newcastle in October for what I‘m sure will be a sell-out match between the Australian Diamonds and the England Roses,” Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said.
“This match is another great example of the work that City of Newcastle, Venues NSW and the Newcastle Entertainment Centre are doing to secure these major events, which provide increased visitation and significant economic benefits for the city.
“We look forward to welcoming the visiting teams and their support staff to Newcastle for this highly anticipated event, which will deliver a fantastic spectacle for the region’s sports lovers and valuable flow-on effects for our visitor economy.”
The Aussies last played in Newcastle in 2018 for the Quad series, just months after suffering a heart breaking one-goal loss in the Commonwealth Games gold medal decider to England on the Gold Coast.
So whatever the result in the current Commonwealth Games at Birmingham where world no. 1 ranked Australia is set to take on the world no. 3, there’s no doubt they’ll want to put more wins on the board against England for bragging rights.
“After almost three years, we can‘t wait to watch the Diamonds play on home soil and pack stadiums across Victoria, Queensland and NSW,” Netball Australia CEO Kelly Ryan said.
Meanwhile in a historic first, the incredible talent within the men‘s squad will also be on display with the Australian men’s team scheduled to play two curtain raisers at home.
The first against New Zealand in Melbourne on October 19 and then against the England men‘s team in Sydney on October 30.
The Aussie men will also take on New Zealand’s men’s team in Auckland on October 12.
AMMNA President Andrew Simons said bringing men‘s and women’s netball together at the international level is a momentous step forward for the netball community.
“Elevating the elite profile of the Australian men‘s netball team has been a long-term goal and this announcement rewards the dedication and commitment of our high-performance athletes and officials, past and present,” he said.
Tickets to the Constellation Cup and Australia v England Series will go on sale to the public on August 12.
Fans can sign up to the August 10 pre-sale HERE.
The international fixtures, including both men‘s matches in Australia, will be broadcast live and exclusively in Australia on Fox Sports, available through Foxtel and Kayo.
England Series
Wednesday 26 October – Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Newcastle
Sunday 30 October – Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
Thursday 3 November – Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane
Constellation Cup
Wednesday 12 October – Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand
Sunday 16 October – Trustpower Arena, Tauranga, New Zealand
Wednesday 19 October – John Cain Arena, Melbourne, Australia
Sunday 23 October – Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, Gold Coast, Australia
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