Swifts come to Canberra - The Canberra Times

NSW Swifts and Australian Diamonds midcourter Paige Hadley. Photo: SMP Images

After hoisting the sold-out sign for the historic Test match between Australia and New Zealand, officials are confident of another packed house in Canberra, this time for the inaugural ANZ Championship match in the ACT.

The AIS Arena is tipped to be filled to capacity for the second time in just over six months when the NSW Swifts take on the Southern Steel on Anzac Day next year.

Tickets to the blockbuster encounter between the Diamonds and the Silver Ferns on October 13 flew out the door just hours after going on sale.

The deal for the Swifts to bring a game to Canberra is a one-off at this stage, but general manager of the ANZ Championship Andy Crook said it could become a regular concept depending on the amount of support for the game.

''We'll address it on a year by year basis and see how it goes this year, but there does seem like there's a strong netball fan base in Canberra,'' Mr Crook said. ''We'll work closely with the NSW Swifts and Netball ACT to see how long we extend it for. We knew there was a hunger for top-level netball in Canberra, and hopefully over the next year the public will be satisfied with that.''

Despite not having a team in the national competition, participation figures show there is strong support for netball in Canberra. There are more than 4800 registered players in the city, and the Canberra Darters attract the largest crowds of any team in the second-tier Australian Netball League with about 800 fans.

Netball ACT general manager Adam Horner tipped the Swifts game to be a sellout and hoped it would trigger a succession of elite fixtures.

''The AIS Arena is not the biggest venue around so selling it out is a very real possibility,'' Mr Horner said.

''The Test matches are a terrific display of how much the community appreciates it, so I think this will be an extension of that in some respects.

''It's a good opportunity to show the passion and the support we have for the game in Canberra.''

Netball NSW chief executive Carolyn Campbell said taking the ANZ Championship to Canberra formed part of the NSW Swifts' strategy of promoting the sport.

"There is a large netball community in southern NSW and the ACT, so we are delighted to give these passionate supporters the opportunity to attend an ANZ Championship game,'' Ms Campbell said.

"We are honoured to be hosting this event, and are confident the game in Canberra will be a fitting tribute to the spirit of the Anzacs,'' she added.

The Southern Steel is based in Invercargill, in the south island of New Zealand.