Friday 7 October 2016 12:53, UK
With some of England's top players heading to Australia and New Zealand, Caroline Barker takes a look at the opportunities it creates for players departing and those coming through the ranks on these shores. She also asks the question, what's next for netball in both hemispheres?
What do Sara Bayman, Jo Harten and Helen Housby all have in common? Apart from an unhealthy obsession with all things sport (gentle ribbing of my American football team is a common theme) they're all off to ply their trade in the new Australia and New Zealand leagues.
For Housby and Bayman, theirs will be a new adventure. Harten, of course, is a not-so-old hand at Antipodean ways.
Apart from the obvious twang in interviews, how will the hot-footing of some of England's best talent leave the Vitality Netball Superleague?
In the pro camp, the exposure to the best in the world will only continue to improve the individual ability of Tracey Neville's Roses, something the SANZEA tournament had hoped to achieve.
Nothing compares with the weekly mettle test, physically and mentally.
How can you outwit and outmuscle the likes of Sharni Layton and Caitlin Bassett unless you are exposed to them regularly? It's not just the Aussies too, with the pick of New Zealand, Jamaica and South Africa all on their way.
There's also the crowds. The NSL is growing at a considerable rate, but responding under pressure comes with playing in front of a wall of noise and the TV cameras each week.
As for coaching, the NSL has some brilliant coaches, but it never hurts to be regularly working with an Aussie or Kiwi style.
It's not just the England players heading overseas, of course. South African pair Lenize Potgieter and Karla Mostert have both landed gigs in the new leagues after a successful time on our shores.
Of course, the gaps they leave are already being filled.
With new franchises, coaches and venues, 2017 promises to be the most exciting Netball Superleague season yet. With so much change, it's also the perfect time to get your head around the league for the first time.
It's not all one-way traffic, either. There's a talent exchange already in the coaching department with the Severn Stars taking advantage as former Australian Diamonds player Mo'onia Gerrard becomes their head coach.
There's also new blood with Pam Cookey stepping up to a director of netball role, showing a future pathway for players along with Karen Greig who will continue the legacy at Thunder and Tamsin Greenway changing things up with Wasps.
Plus there's the return of a strong Scottish franchise with significant investment.
The negatives? Losing some of England's best players will allow the younger talent to come through at NSL level, but wouldn't it be great for them to be alongside their England counterparts and international tormentors too? As a player, why wouldn't you want to ply your trade with the best in the world?
I have no doubt the competition and tests in the Vitality Netball Superleague will be as demanding as ever in 2017.
There is talent all over, but how great would it be to see the likes of Laura Langman and Laura Geitz duelling with Stacey Francis and Serena Guthrie in Manchester?
Let's shift the leagues so we can have the best of the best playing in both hemispheres. Two seasons running one after the other?
I'm sure Bayman and co would love to be paid for playing the game they love twice in one year.
The platform is there through the fans, coverage, venues and coaches and will ramp up a level when the season gets underway, once they've seen what's on offer come 2017, they'll be queuing up for a bit of the NSL action.
