The International Federation of Netball Associations (IFNA) has created a new world ranking system to provide a more accurate reflection of the current form of countries competing internationally. The new table, which takes into account international matches played since July 2004, pits Australia at the top of the ranking after its gold medal at the New World Netball World Championships in Auckland in November, while beaten finalist New Zealand is second. Jamaica, despite narrowly beating England into the bronze medal position at the Championships, is fourth behind England.
Previously, countries were ranked once every four years according to their positions in the World Championships, but having reduced the number of teams taking part in the event to 16 in 2007, the new ranking system is seen as more inclusive. A total of 22 countries, who have each played the minimum requirement of eight matches in the last four years, appear in the new rankings table. In the months ahead, as more of IFNA's member countries play regular internationals, they too will have the opportunity to join the official rankings and monitor their performance against the rest of the world.
IFNA President Molly Rhone said: "This is a major step forward for our sport. To have a ranking system that takes account of the form of teams in between our World Championships is really exciting. Not only will this make existing international netball events and test matches more meaningful, we hope it will stimulate more regular competition between countries. It will also help us further understand the stage a country is at in its development and enable IFNA to be more strategic in supporting progress. One of our strategic goals is to raise the performance levels across all member countries and maximize the commercial opportunity and profile of key international events."
