12 Jul 2011

Sport: Vagana keen to see Pacific exemption in trans-tasman comp

10:04 am on 12 July 2011

Samoa netball coach Linda Vagana says loosening the restrictions on Pacific players in the ANZ Championship domestic competition could help Pacific countries to close the gap at international level.

Currently each New Zealand franchise in the trans-tasman competition is allowed to contract one player who is ineligible to play for the Silver Ferns.

Any further imports would require a dispensation, while Australian franchises also have limited import spots.

Following the netball world championships, where Samoa finished 12th and Fiji 10th, Linda Vagana says removing Pacific Island players from the constraints of that ruling would really help the likes of Samoa to attract and develop players at the top level.

"There's a restriction there for our Pacifica girls to be able to play because once they play for Samoa or the Cook Islands it becomes really tough for them but the competition in terms of its intensity and where it's moved to now really requires us to get more hard matches."