Netball South Australia CEO Bronwyn Klei is ready to tackle the Suncorp Super Netball Adelaide Hub to showcase to the netball world what the City of Churches has to offer.

Ms Klei went to bed on Wednesday night fresh off the SSN’s decision to swap Round 14 to Round 11 in the hope of getting fans back to games – only to wake up to a call from Events South Australia.

She said Netball Australia CEO Kelly Ryan had spent the night liaising with the South Australian Government about saving the competition.

“I woke up to a call with Events SA and they asked me if we could do it and I confirmed to them it was absolutely doable and would be fantastic for Netball South Australia,” she told The Netball Post.

“There was a little competition [for the hub] and it really came down to player welfare. The pressure was very much building about getting the players out of Victoria. There was a lot to consider.

“SA Health have been great. It really came down to what was best for players and support staff and our government came to the party and secured a great deal for netball.”

Klei confirmed fans would be able to attend the matches and Netball Australia will make a formal announcement on tickets and the season ahead in due course.

As it stands, Klei said all games would be played at Netball South Australia Stadium and player welfare would remain the top priority.

She said signage and decals would be reviewed.

“If there is any risk, we wouldn’t do it,” she said.

“We’re not going to bring the best players to Adelaide and put any of them at risk.

“We are going to use this to show to everyone what we can do – the community in South Australia love netball and they want to see us play here.

“Sometimes we can feel unimportant, especially without international matches played here. This shows we are important, and we can use this to showcase Netball South Australia.”

Ironically, Adelaide Thunderbirds are in Perth to play West Coast Fever. It appears both sides will return to Adelaide to join up with the rest of the SSN Hub following the match.

South Australian netball superfan Georgia Doyle said she felt like netball was coming home.

“While I am devastated that players are continually being uprooted, I am eternally grateful for their commitment to continuing the season and beyond excited for elite netball to be in South Australia,” she said.

“We have a rich sporting history, especially in netball, having played a part in the career of many of the netball’s best players. We’ve stayed loyal to our Thunderbirds through their tumultuous SSN tenure and always come out in full force for international test matches.

“I was disappointed we didn’t get any 2021 Constellation Cup matches (announced to be hosted in QLD and NZ) after not having international netball since 2017. But the idea of several SSN games over a short period is exciting.”

A press conference is expected today from Netball Australia to update fans on the status of Suncorp Super Netball as it was revealed both Queensland Firebirds and Sunshine Coast Lightning may still be in Queensland.