It was not a start that the organisers had anticipated but scores of netball players still descended on Port Elizabeth to mark day one of the Spar National Netball Championships yesterday.

Despite a no-show from nine teams - citing financial challenges - action got under way in the revamped tournament that had expected 1043 players representing 87 teams across the senior and under-21 sections of the sport.

"It is sad that some teams decided not to communicate with us in advance regarding their situation," said Netball SA (NSA) demarcations director Mami Diale.

"We still have the numbers but we wished we had what we had planned for.

"It's beyond us and we just have to do damage control."

The day started with the official launch of SA's 2023 World Cup bid campaign, led by NSA president Cecilia Molokwane and Deputy Sport Minister Gert Oosthuizen.

The first matches will be played on a round-robin basis, with knockout games scheduled for later this week. Finals take place on Saturday.