The effect of rule changes in World Series Netball: a simulation study

Abstract

World Series Netball is played under different rules than standard netball. The current investigation used a simulation package to analyse the effect of two of these rule changes in isolation and when applied together. Four versions of the simulator were applied to determine match outcomes under the following conditions:• 60 minute match and alternating centre passes• 24 minute match and alternating centre passes• 60 minute match and centre passes taken by the conceding team• 24 minute match and centre passes taken by the conceding team.The superior team within a match was the team expected to convert more of its possessions into goals. The simulators showed that the superior team won 83.8% of standard netball matches. Reducing the match time to 24 minutes had a greater impact than giving the centre pass to the team that conceded the previous goal (75.5% v 83.3% of matches won by the superior team). When both rule changes were applied, the superior team won 74.6% of matches with a noticeable increase in the number of draws to 6.4% compared to 2.2% in standard netball. This study shows that simulation has a role in the development of rules in sport.