Top class softball ahead in NZCT National League
December 5, 2006
Wellington, NZ
Top class softball ahead in NZCT National League
Wednesday December 6th 2006
The battle for national softball supremacy will once again to be to thefore early next year as franchises contest the New Zealand CommunityTrust National League.
The 2006/07 event will be the fifth time the league has been held in its’current format. For this season six teams have been entered in both themen’s and women’s leagues, with Auckland back to defend their title inthe women’s competition and the North Harbour men’s team looking torepeat their success of last season.
The league was initially introduced in the 2003/03 season with theintention of providing high class competition for the sports eliteathletes, officials, administrators and supporters. New Zealand Softballchief executive Dale Eagar is expecting another intense competition thisseason.
In a new initiative for this season the National League round robin andfinal series has been split over three months starting in January nextyear. The first round of games will be held on the weekend of January20th – 21st followed by the second round on February 17-18 and the finalsseries on March 3rd -4th.
Eagar says the new dates have been introduced this season to take somepressure off players having to commit to consecutive weekends while alsolessening the disruption to club competitions for provincial associationsaround the country.
The National League is a franchise based competition with the women’sleague for this season comprising Auckland, Wellington, Hutt Valley,Central Vikings, Canterbury and Southern Pride. The men’s league also hassix teams with North Harbour, Auckland, Wellington, Hutt Valley,Canterbury and Southern Pride entered.
Now that team entries have been finalized the next step is for all teamsto name their protected players, from their own regions, on ThursdayDecember 7th. Franchises can name up to a maximum of 14 protectedplayers tomorrow with the major franchises North Harbour, Auckland,Wellington, Hutt Valley and Canterbury able to name a minimum of eightprotected players and the minor franchises Southern Price and CentralVikings able to name as few as four.
Players who have registered to be part of the League and are not named asprotected players within their own regions are still able to gain a placethrough a draft system. Franchises that have not filled theirroster with protected players will round out their squads with selectionsfrom the player draft to be held on Tuesday December 12th.
By SNZ Media Liaison: Kelly Mitchell
* mailto:kelly.mitchell@xtra.co.nz
http://www.softball.org.nz/
*mailto:snz@softball.org.nz
Cheers Vance
Softball New Zealand web master.
* mailto:vanf@ihug.co.nz
