National Bank Cup

The National Bank Cup, originally known as the Coca-Cola Cup, was the top level national New Zealand netball league between 1998 and 2007. The league was organised by Netball New Zealand. Between 1998 and 2001, it was sponsored by Coca-Cola. In 2002, the National Bank of New Zealand took over as the main sponsor. Otago Rebels were the inaugural premiers. However, Southern Sting, were subsequently the competition's most successful team. Sting played in all ten grand finals and won seven of the ten titles played for. Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic were the second most successful team, winning two premierships. Ahead of the 2008 season, the National Bank Cup league effectively merged with Australia's Commonwealth Bank Trophy to form the ANZ Championship.

Teams
The ten founding members of the Coca-Cola Cup league were Auckland Diamonds, Bay of Plenty Magic, Capital Shakers, Canterbury Flames, Counties Manukau Cometz, Northern Force, Otago Rebels, Southern Sting, Waikato Wildcats and Western Flyers. After the inaugural 1997 season, Waikato Wildcats and Bay of Plenty Magic merged to form Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic. The league originally featured three teams from the Auckland Region – Auckland Diamonds, Counties Manukau Cometz and Northern Force. However, in 2003, Cometz were dropped from the league.

In 2008, when the National Bank Cup league was replaced by the ANZ Championship, Magic and Flames became founders of the new league. Flames were rebranded as Canterbury Tactix. The remaining six National Bank Cup teams were merged into three new teams. Southern Sting and Otago Rebels joined forces to become Southern Steel, Capital Shakers and Western Flyers merged as Central Pulse, while Auckland Diamonds and Northern Force became Northern Mystics. Magic are the only team from the Coca-Cola Cup/National Bank Cup era to have retained their original name.

2007
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Format
Teams played a single round of matches, playing every other team once. The top four teams then qualified for the semi-finals.

Inaugural champions
With a team coached by Georgie Salter and featuring Belinda Blair, Belinda Colling,Victoria Edward, Adine Harper, Lesley Nicol, Anna Rowberry and Jo Steed, Otago Rebels finished the inaugural 1998 Coca-Cola Cup season as champions. In the grand-final they defeated Southern Sting 57–50.

Southern Sting
Southern Sting were subsequently the league's most successful team. Between 1998 and 2007, Sting played in all ten grand finals and won seven of the ten titles played for. Between 1999 and 2004, Sting won six successive titles. The team was coached by Robyn Broughton and featured, among others, Donna Loffhagen, Bernice Mene, Belinda Colling, Tania Dalton, Lesley Nicol and Adine Harper. One reason behind Sting's success was that they were pioneers in women's professional sports. Bernice Mene was one of the first professional netball players in New Zealand. With Sting paying their players, they successfully recruited the best players from throughout New Zealand.

Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic
The only team to challenge Southern Sting's monopoly was Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic. In 2005 and 2006, with a team coached by Noeline Taurua and featuring Amigene Metcalfe, Irene van Dyk, Casey Williams, Laura Langman and Joline Henry, Magic won two successive National Bank Cup titles. On both occasions they defeated Sting in the grand final.

National Bank Cup
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