Super Netball will return in April, confirmation coming just two days after the long-running dispute between the sport’s elite players and its national governing body came to an end.

The 2024 campaign gets under way on Saturday, April 13 with the Giants taking on West Coast Fever, before reigning premiers the Adelaide Thunderbirds begin their title defence against the Queensland Firebirds.

New team the Melbourne Mavericks will play their first-ever league match against city rivals the Vixens the following Sunday, before Sunshine Coast Lightning close out the opening round against the NSW Swifts.

With decorated coach and former England star Tracey Neville at the helm, the Mavericks have less than four months to build a squad from scratch.

Players across the league have not been paid since September and were unable to sign new contracts until Wednesday, when a new three-year collective player agreement was locked in the wake of the resignation of Netball Australia chief executive Kelly Ryan.

Under the new deal, players will receive an immediate 11 per cent wage rise, back-dated to October 1, with the average salary rising to $89,221.

Netball Australia and the players will also enter into a landmark sponsorship revenue sharing partnership as part of the deal.

The 14-round home-and-away season will be followed by a three-week finals series starting on July 20.

The grand final will be held on Saturday, August 3 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

“With some of the largest crowds to date in the 2023 season, we are thrilled to announce a fixture that will build on that success and break even more records in 2024,” Netball Australia spokesman Adam Richardson said in a statement.

“We are also excited to see how the introduction of the Super Netball League’s newest team, the Melbourne Mavericks, will shake things up and continue to build in the history of the world’s best netball league.”

A 2023 grand final rematch will take place in round seven, with the Thunderbirds hosting the NSW Swifts at their new home, the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

First Nations Round will be held across two weeks - to coincide with National Reconciliation Week in round seven and NAIDOC Week in round 13.

Inclusion Round, introduced in 2023 to encourage clubs to champion diversity, will take place in round four.