Three additional teams from Australia's east coast could be added to the Trans-Tasman netball league for the 2017 season and beyond.
Netball Australia called for expressions of interest on Friday for an expanded 13-team competition, and CEO Kate Palmer said those from the east coast were most likely.
"It's where we anticipate the teams would come from," she told AAP. "That's where the main broadcast interest is as well and that's a really key platform for us.
"We need to lift the eyeballs and creating more Australian content is part of that."
Netball New Zealand has already confirmed it will not be adding to the five Kiwi-based teams already in the competition, meaning the proposed three new teams would all come from Australia.
At the top of Netball Australia's wishlist are franchises with links to existing AFL clubs, building off the long-term success the NSW Swifts have gained as a sister club to the Sydney Swans.
"I know netball really values their partnership with the AFL across the country," Palmer said.
"Because of the regional relationship between football and netball clubs, it's the perfect type of relationship that is fit for the community; the community element is really critical."
"We need a high performance environment for our athletes and to grow the opportunities for athletes in Australia - an organisation that understands high-performance sport and can manage a team from a commercial perspective."
The move marks the first attempt at expansion by the competition since being launched in 2008 with 10 teams.
Share
