West Coast Fever inaugural Challenge Trophy holders

West Coast Fever inaugural Challenge Trophy holders

West Coast Fever will be the first team in the ANZ Championship to hold the new Challenge Trophy after being named the inaugural holders at a highly-anticipated ballot draw.

The Fever narrowly edged out New Zealand sides the Mainland Tactix and the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel for the right to hold the trophy and their Round 2 clash against the SKYCITY Mystics at Perth’s HBF Stadium on Sunday 8 March will be the first time their title as the holder will be challenged.

The Challenge Trophy is part of the ANZ Championship’s bold new initiatives introduced into the 2015 season and the Fever will hold the trophy until such time they are beaten on their home court during the regular season.

West Coast Fever coach Stacey Rosman is urging their supporters to help get behind the team and make it tough for visiting teams to take the Challenge Trophy off their hands.

“It will be a great opportunity for our members and supporters to create a formidable home environment that will intimidate the opposition,” Rosman said.

“We’re looking forward to turning HBF Stadium into ‘The Cauldron’ and having all our supporters decked out in green. We want everyone to come out to our first home game on Sunday 8 Marchto make sure we retain the trophy going into our second home game the following week.

“Our home crowd support has always been a great lifter in our games so the team will thrive on the atmosphere created by our fans knowing the Challenge Trophy will be up for grabs.

“We aim to retain the Challenge Trophy so that ‘The Cauldron’ becomes a formidable, intimidating home ground that our opposition fears playing at.”

ANZ Championship General Manager Andy Crook said that given the structure of the ANZ Championship regular season draw, the Challenge Trophy is going to be something that is extremely difficult for teams to not only claim, but also get the opportunity to challenge for.

“Defeating a team on their home court is difficult at the best of times, however both the players and the home fans will take the defence of the trophy to a different level as they will not want to let it go,” Crook said.

“It will become an extremely difficult trophy for a team to get their hands on as it could be two or three years between opportunities to challenge the holder so `winning at all cost’ takes on a new meaning - that is the beauty of the Challenge Trophy.

“Knowing how competitive Fever are and how difficult it will be to get it back, they will not want to let it go easily.”

The 2015 ANZ Championship gets underway on Saturday 28 February in Adelaide when the Adelaide Thunderbirds host the Kia Magic at Netball SA Stadium.

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