Netball Australia announces ‘stepping down’ of Chair Marina Go

Netball Australia has today announced that Marina Go has stepped down as Chair of the organisation with Director Wendy Archer appointed to the role, effective immediately.

While Netball Australia has advised that Go’s move is “a planned transition”, it comes following a reported dispute between Australian Diamonds players and the governing body over a $15 million sponsorship of the sport's high performance program by mining conglomerate Hancock Prospecting.

On Saturday it emerged that the Diamonds had reverted to their old uniform - without Hancock Prospecting branding - during the opening game of their Constellation Cup series against New Zealand at Auckland’s Spark Arena last Thursday.

The move followed the players having been addressed by their former captain and current Sports Environment Alliance ambassador Sharni Norder over what she said was “doing right by the sport (and) also doing right by yourself and honouring your own values.”

Described by Netball Australia as having “played a pivotal role in driving the commercial turnaround of the sport and its strategic development since taking on the role of inaugural chair of the newly formed majority independent board of Netball Australia on an interim basis in May 2021”, Go will remain a Director.

Speaking this morning, Go stated “I am truly passionate about netball, and it has been an honour and a privilege to serve this sport over many years in my capacity as non-executive director of Netball Australia, chair of the Super Netball Commission and in May 2021, when I took on the role of chair of the new Netball Australia Board.

“I am proud of the position Netball Australia is now in - we have made strong progress on the financial stability of the sport, have secured significant new commercial partners and are continuing to identify and build new opportunities to secure a strong future for the sport, our players and our fans.”

First reported by Fox Sports, the dispute over the new sponsorship, relates to Hancock Prospecting Executive Chairman Gina Rinehart being reported as saying climate change is not a man-made phenomenon.

It also surrounds the origins of Hancock Prospecting Ltd, founded in 1955 by Rinehart’s father, the late Lang Hancock.

Hancock suggested in 1984 that Indigenous Australians should be sterilised to “breed themselves out”.

Wendy Archer
New Netball Australia Chair Wendy Archer has been a Director of the governing body since 2018 and is a lifetime member of Netball NSW. She is widely recognised for her outstanding commitment to the sport and in 2015, was awarded an Order of Australia for her services to netball.

She explains “netball is a sport I have loved since my days as a junior player and I understand both the opportunities and the challenges the game faces.

 “It is a great responsibility to be appointed chair of Netball Australia and I am grateful for the confidence and support of my fellow directors. I look forward to driving the continued growth, innovation and performance of netball.”

Archer has received a Parliamentary commendation for her outstanding service to netball and her work helping to establish the state-of-the-art Netball Central in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct.

She is currently the Executive Director of InteRisk Pty Ltd, ComplyNet Pty Ltd and Australian Rescue Management Pty Ltd.