The Silver Ferns and Aotearoa Men's netball series will move from Hamilton to Wellington following the change in Covid-19 alert levels in the Waikato.
Silver Ferns Shannon Saunders (L) and NZ Men's Jamie Brown (R). Silver Ferns v NZ Men, Bruce Pulman Arena, Auckland, New Zealand. 27 June 2019. Photo: Photosport
The two teams were set to go head-to-head in a three-match series over three days, starting on Sunday at Globox Arena, Claudelands, in Hamilton.
But the New Zealand Government's latest announcement to move parts of Waikato, including Hamilton City, into alert Level 3 means the series has been relocated to TSB Arena in Wellington and retaining the same dates of 10,11,12 October.
The alert level status in Hamilton is due to be reviewed by the government on Friday, but Netball New Zealand chief executive Jennie Wyllie said the uncertainty around community cases in the region meant they had little choice but to change their plans.
"Navigating any sporting event during the coronavirus pandemic is a constant challenge, but we're fortunate to have a great team working hard behind the scenes to ensure we can get New Zealand's elite netballers out on court in what is an important phase of their build-up for the Commonwealth Games and the 2023 Netball World Cup," Wyllie said.
The series against Aotearoa Men was included in the Silver Ferns schedule after the Constellation Cup games against Australia were cancelled due to Covid-19 border restrictions.
The Silver Ferns will go into camp in Wellington on Thursday.
The change of venue from Hamilton also means the New Zealand A and New Zealand U21 teams, which were set to contest curtain raiser matches, will no longer go ahead.
Netball New Zealand will look for other options for those two teams later this year.