General manager Anthony Everard yesterday confirmed the tournament will be brought forward to allow players time to prepare for the 2011 world championships in Singapore.
The ANZ Championship has been held from April to July but the 2011 season will start on February 13, with the final planned for May 22 or 23.
The draw will be announced in September but the season has been condensed from 17 weeks to 15 weeks and will feature three double rounds.
During the double rounds, seven or eight games will be played rather than the usual four or five. Other features include the removal of the bye and the trialling of Thursday night matches.
Steel chief executive Julie Paterson said the changes were necessary but would create a few logistical problems in terms of planning the team's pre-season.
"We are a little bit unsure about our pre-season programme at this stage ... and how we manage that led-in because we have that Christmas break in the middle of it," Paterson said.
"But it is not insurmountable. All of the teams are in the same position so it is just something that we've got to think through carefully and work our way through."
Steel coach Robyn Broughton was more worried about the early start to the season than the physical pressure the condensed season will put on players.
"Plenty of professional sports play double-headers in the weekend," Broughton said.
"So I think if you've prepared properly, it will be fine."
However, Broughton expressed concerned the early start date would interfere with people's family life and Christmas break.
"We can't go in cold. So I'll need to sit down with our fitness conditioner and work out who is coming back and when."
Paterson said until the draw came out in September it was not clear how the double round would work.
But it was an opportunity to save money by playing two games in Australia instead of making two trips across the Tasman.
"I imagine that they will factor those things into the draw," Paterson said.
Paterson has expressed concern in the past that luring people out of their homes in winter to watch Monday night netball was not always an easy task.
But she is excited by Thursday night netball.
"With the netball championships next year, this is the best alternative that the competition could come up with. I think Thursday night could be an exciting opportunity and this is a really good way to trial it."
There has been a lot of talk about whether the competition would eventually expand from the current round and a-half to a full double round.
But Paterson believes any talk of expansion has to be tempered by the reality of the current economic environment.
