Netball NZ wants World Netball to change international eligibility rules

Netball New Zealand wants World Netball to amend its strict eligibility criteria, which prevents players representing two different countries at consecutive world cups.

It's proposing that players should be able to compete in a World Cup for a tier two (lower ranked nation) without it impacting on their ability to then play for a tier one nation, that they are otherwise eligible for through citizenship or residency.

The line between tier one and two nations would need to be determined but lower ranked countries in the Pacific, for example, like Samoa, Fiji and the Cook Islands, would no doubt fall under tier two.

The current eligiblity rule also applies to Youth World Cups.

In September this year the Netball World Youth Cup is taking place in Gibraltar. Any player who competes in the tournament will be locked out from competing for any other country for four years even if they have dual citizenship.

But the national body thinks a player who is eligible for Samoa and New Zealand for example should be allowed to play in the World Youth Cup for Samoa but still be eligible to play for New Zealand post that event.

"It's around representing your home country or country where you've got those cultural ties to but if you ultimately have desires to represent an Australia or a New Zealand, or an England - maybe representing your home nation shouldn't preclude you from doing that," said head of high performance Stephen Hotter.

World Netball tightened up eligibility rules in the mid 2000s after prolific South Africa goal shoot Irene van Dyk and Fijian goal keep Vilimaina Davu were snatched up by the Silver Ferns not long after moving to New Zealand.

Both were vital to the Silver Ferns winning the 2003 World Cup and had represented their home nations at the 1999 World Cup.

The most high profile player to be affected by the existing rule was New Zealand born Cathrine Tuivaiti (née Latu), who also has Samoan and Tongan ancestry.

Tuivaiti represented Samoa at the 2007 Netball World Cup. She then had to complete a four year stand-down from international netball to become eligible to play for the Silver Ferns.

Netball New Zealand went all the way to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to try to get her in the team for the 2011 World Cup but world sport's top judicial body rejected its bid.

NNZs proposal is on the agenda to be discussed at next month's World Netball Congress.

Hotter said with the Youth World Cup on the horizon, it brought the issue into focus.

"That's the initial consideration, if we use that as an example - if they play for one country at the Youth World Cup they are then captured by that country for four years, that is until the conclusion of the next World Cup and so it's really just trying to explore flexibility around that," Hotter said.

"Where they've got significant family or cultural ties, so it's the Pasifika players that we're considering here. And if there's some flexibility or at least some discussion around what that could look like to make the model slightly different then we propose that that discussion should be had.

"There's been instances in the past where players have been locked into a certain country for a period of time even though they are eligible for another country and they want to explore representing them.

"I think if there was a change in the rules it would enable some of the lower ranked nations to field more competitive teams which ultimately helps the competitive nature of any tournament but it also doesn't necessarily lock a 20-year-old into a country for four years, which can be a tough decision for a young adult to make."

A number of talented young players with Pasifika heritage are coming through the pathways in New Zealand.

Stars defender Lili Tokaduadua could become eligible to play for New Zealand once she has lived in Aotearoa long enough to meet residency requirements under World Netball criteria.

But if she played for her birth nation of Fiji at the Youth World Cup later this year, she would have to stand-down for four years before representing another country.

The New Zealand Under 21 team to compete at the Youth World Cup in September is yet to be finalised.

Steel midcourter Serina Daunakamakama, who was born in Fiji but moved to New Zealand with her family when she was young, is in the wider NZU21 squad.

Fairer playing field needed

Former Silver Fern Linda Vagana played 64 tests for New Zealand between 1993 and 2002, before captaining Samoa at the end of her career. The Auckland-born defender later coached Samoa, her country of heritage.

Vagana said dual heritage exists for many Pasifika peoples.

"Our Pasifika peoples living abroad include individuals of first and second-generation, and that continues to grow. Many of our Pasifika people migrate to countries like Australia and New Zealand for better opportunities, education, employment and much more," Vagana said.

She said changes to the rules should also apply in the other direction so that if someone played for a high ranked team at a World Cup, they should then be able to play for a lower ranked country which they had ties to.

"If top ranked countries can benefit from having access to these players, it should also go the other way. With stronger squads, Pacific nations have a chance to would become more competitive and makes for greater diversity and excitement. We only need to look at how rugby is evolving with the greater opportunities to uplift Pasifika nations."

Vagana played for the Silver Ferns at the 1999 World Cup and then played for Samoa at the 2003 World Cup before the rules were tightened.

She said the existing rules meant young netballers were forced into having to make tough decisions.

"Many players feel a strong connection to their Pacific roots but are forced to choose one nation permanently.

"Some players won't make themselves available because they're afraid of jeopardising future opportunities to play for countries like New Zealand or Australia. The reality is, even if they wait, there's no guarantee they'll be selected and in the end, they might not represent any country at all.

"Opportunities are taken away from them because they only have one option - whether to get on the New Zealand pathway for example, which is a massive pull, or play for a Pacific nation and then miss out on New Zealand later."

She said World Netball should change the rules to help lower ranked teams be more competitive.

"They've fallen short in their strategies to grow, engage, and inspire … if the sport is to truly expand globally, we need to keep more elite players active internationally. Just imagine how much more competitive the sport could become - Pacific nations would be significantly stronger on the world stage if they had access to their top talent.

"It would help level the disparities in top-tier competition and resource allocation and promote greater global equity and inclusion within netball."

Vagana said she had been encouraged by watching more Pasifika talent coming through the Australian pathways and she hoped Australia would support a rule change.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.