Netball Australia lift import restrictions

Netball Australia will lift import restrictions for next year's national competition.

The yet-to-be-named league, which will replace the ANZ Championship, will look further afield to lure in the world's best players.

"We're certainly looking closely at Africa and Asia, as we saw some remarkable talent from those countries during last year's Netball World Cup," Netball Australia chief executive Kate Palmer said.

Currently, all trans-Tasman teams can only contract one import player, however Palmer doesn't expect to see international athletes filling most places on team rosters.

"The reality is that a high proportion of the world's best players are Australian, and we expect that the majority of players in the league will continue to come from our pathway," she said.

The current Australian trans-Tasman sides - Firebirds, Vixens, Swifts, Fever and Thunderbirds - will be joined by three others in the new competition, expected to be finalised by the end of July.