Defiant message as team on verge of collapse

1 year ago 124

Netball Australia says it is committed to fielding an eight-team Super Netball contention successful 2024 contempt reports the Collingwood Magpies are successful information of collapse.

In a connection released connected Tuesday, the governing assemblage confirmed it had been notified by Collingwood that a reappraisal into its Super Netball squad programme is pending.

That followed Magpies main enforcement Craig Kelly reportedly calling a gathering connected Tuesday to counsel players and unit of the review.

Anzac Day commemorations are observed during the circular six Super Netball lucifer betwixt Collingwood Magpies and Sunshine Coast Lightning. (Kelly Defina)

Speaking to Nine's Today, Netball Australia CEO Kelly Ryan stated that contempt the concern unfolding with Collingwood, the governing assemblage is committed to an eight-team contention adjacent season.

"We were informed a mates of weeks agone that Collingwood wanted to person a deeper reappraisal of what their netball programme looked similar successful totality of their full sports program," she said.

"At this stage, we are inactive awaiting the results of that reappraisal which volition hap successful owed course.

"But, astatine the extremity of the day, we person an incredibly beardown contention - it's the champion contention successful the satellite - and we cognize we volition person 8 teams participating successful that completion erstwhile 2024 rolls around."

The Collingwood Football Club launched its netball franchise successful 2017 arsenic 1 of 3 caller teams to articulation the Super Netball league up of its inaugural season.

Since then, the squad has returned mediocre results. Even with a star-studded playing list, they person reached the finals bid connected lone 2 occasions successful 7 seasons.

The squad presently resides astatine the bottommost of the ladder with conscionable 2 wins this season.

Collingwood Magpies Head Coach Nicole Richardson speaks to her players. (Graham Denholm via Getty Images)

Despite being aligned with 1 of the biggest clubs successful the AFL, the squad also has the lowest attendance complaint successful the Super Netball contention and has fought to stay financially sound.

Asked wherefore the marque was struggling to pull fans to netball games, Ryan deflected the reasoning to the nine but explained that Netball Australia volition enactment with Collingwood and their stakeholders pursuing the review.

"That's a question for Collingwood successful presumption of however they are gathering their crowds and gathering their fanbase for their netball program," she said.

"Obviously, they are having a bully look astatine each of those metrics successful totality, arsenic are we, and erstwhile they person completed their reappraisal we volition enactment truly intimately astir what the result is of that review.

"But netball successful totality is inactive truly beardown successful [Victoria] and we look guardant to having 2 teams successful the authorities arsenic of adjacent year."

Financial accent has plagued Netball Australia pursuing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year, the nonaccomplishment of a $15 cardinal sponsorship woody with Hancock Prospecting plunged the nationalist squad into situation earlier Visit Victoria, the tourism subdivision of the Victorian government, stepped successful to capable the void.

Quizzed if this latest substance would again autumn connected the shoulders of the Victorian government, Ryan cemented netball's presumption arsenic a starring athletics wrong Australia which could basal connected it's own.

"It's up to ourselves to marque definite we enactment our mode retired of the troubles we person had arsenic a effect of the COVID-19 pandemic," she said.

"We'll person our AGM time which volition study that we are present making a nett arsenic of the 2022 year, truthful that's a large turnaround from wherever we were this clip past twelvemonth - we were talking astir deficits and present we are talking astir profits.

"So, the fiscal health of the athletics is really successful bully signifier truthful that is what we volition instrumentality alternatively and marque definite that arsenic we are rebuilding Super Netball, that it besides remains incredibly strong.

"The aboriginal of netball is going unbelievably well, we conscionable received our latest information results which person implicit a cardinal radical playing netball crossed the country, truthful we're present the 3rd largest information athletics successful totality - supra the AFL.

"We don't person immoderate concerns astir the aboriginal of netball successful immoderate way, signifier oregon form. What we are talking astir is simply a reappraisal of 1 of the teams successful the Super Netball competition, but astatine the extremity of the day, we volition person 8 truly beardown teams successful Super Netball adjacent play and if that's Collingwood, that's Collingwood, and if it's different team, past that is what we volition enactment through."

As it stands, no players from immoderate Super Netball teams are contracted beyond this play with nary Collective Players' Agreement from Netball Australia agreed beyond September 2023.

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