No draws, timeouts & more points on offer – NSL introduces new rules

As part of the revamped competition, the Netball Super League made three more rule changes for the 2025 season.

Games will not be allowed to end in a draw, unlike in previous years, when the scores are equal after 60 minutes.

A new system for awarding points will also be implemented, and losing teams who finish within five points or less of their opponent will receive one point.

As part of plans to make the division professional, the league, which is the sport’s elite domestic competition, has undergone a change from 2025.

If the score between the teams is equal after 60 minutes, there will be 10 minutes of extra time followed by a one-minute half-time break.

Play will continue until one team has a two-goal lead if the score is still equal at the end of extra time.

Each team will be able to call a 90-second tactical timeout each game. A player on court is required to call these, but only after a goal has been scored.

The NSL stated that tactical timeouts “will give players and coaches the unmatched opportunity to make crucial adjustments that will influence a game’s outcome and keep fans guessing until the final whistle.”

A new feature allows losing teams that finish within five goals or less of their opponent’s score to claim one point, “incentivising teams in a losing position to continue to fight until the final second of each game.”

A two-point super shot would be introduced in December, as would Australia’s Super Netball league.

Shooters can score two points from a designated area on the edge of the shooting circle during each of the final five minutes of each of the four quarters of every game under the new rule, which will be in effect throughout the new extra-time period.

The most recent rule changes were intended to “create a fast-paced, exciting format,” according to Claire Nelson, the managing director of the NSL.

As we take new and existing fans on a journey through the season with jeopardy and excitement at its core, she continued, “Not allowing games to be played to a draw, along with tactical timeouts and the introduction of the super shot are just some of the changes that will create unmissable experiences.”

BBC Sport’s Jess Anderson

Just over a week before what organizers have called “Netball Super League 2.0” (State of the Game), these new rules are made public.

The sport’s desire to gain more fans through bigger arenas and establishes the transition process will allow athletes to become fully professional is at stake.

It’s hoped that the introduction of four new rules will increase competition in a previously fairly predictable league. When it comes to boosting the entertainment factor, CEO Nelson has made it abundantly clear that Super League will use this opportunity to be creative.

Rugby and basketball, with a leaf removed from the American sports book when it comes to entertainment, have been given inspiration from the Australian Super Netball league, which is considered the best league in the world and where the super shot has been in place since 2020.