Review of Australian netball calls for radical changes

An independent review of Netball Australia has advised that the organisation’s governance is "outdated" and that there is a "a lack of trust" in how it operates.

Led by former Australian captain Liz Ellis, the State of the Game Review has been published, with its findings and eight recommendations gaining support from Netball Australia.

The review was carried out over the past five months and saw more than 10,000 netball stakeholders, including players, parents and administrators, take part in a survey.

Its publication follows what has been a challenging year for Netball Australia which has been hit by the Coronavirus pandemic, the impending departure of Chief Executive Marne Fechner and criticism over its lack of diversity - with indigenous participation rates at just 4% of the netball community.

According to the State of the Game Review, the "greatest challenges" Netball Australia faces are internal, advising “the most obvious one is the inability of Australian netball to align at all levels on what it wants to achieve and how it wants to achieve it.

"This is exacerbated by a lack of trust both vertically and horizontally in the Australian netball system; a lack of clarity at all levels around responsibilities and accountabilities; duplication and inefficiencies in administrative functions across the national and state bodies; and the financial costs of investing in and supporting the growth of SSN (Suncorp Super Netball).

"This is overlaid by an outdated governance system that has led at different times to overreach by and instability of boards at all levels."

Among the eight recommendations given to Netball Australia are the establishment of a high-performance working group to improve diversity and align player pathways as well as put together a strategy to strengthen fan engagement.

Other key recommendations covered:

1. Strategic system alignment
2. Governance reform
3. State led participation growth
4. Suncorp Super Netball as the vehicle to drive commercial growth for netball
5. System wide operational efficiencies
6. National digital strategy
7. Implementation resources.

The report also notes that netball still relies on a bottom-up funding model.

Netball Australia and its state and territory-based member organisations, all eight Suncorp Super Netball Clubs, the Australian Netball Players’ Association and the Confident Girls Foundation, have all welcomed the report and will now consult with their respective members on the detailed recommendations within the report.

Noting that the netball system supporting these recommendations is a crucial next step in re-imagining the game’s future after a tough 2020, Netball Australia Chair Paolina Hunt explained “as the report directly reflects the views of our diverse Netball Nation it came as no surprise that netball’s internal stakeholders have demonstrated their desire to work together to deliver on the review’s core recommendations

“The State of the Game Review is the largest scale independent review ever conducted into netball – carried out over five months and integrating the voices of over 10,000 netball stakeholders – and the insights gained provide an accurate and current data set from which to launch the panel’s recommendations.

“We have a great opportunity, leading into Netball Australia’s centenary year in 2027, to set the sport up for the next 100 years, and I’m very much looking forward to working together with key stakeholders as we align for growth and success as an outcome of the review process.”

The State of the Game Review panel, led by Ellis, included Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins, experienced non-executive director and former MP Wendy Machin and experienced executive Joe Pollard.

As recommended within the report, in early 2021 Netball Australia will appoint a resource in charge of managing the implementation of the recommendations across the broader netball system.

Click here to view the full State of the Game Review report.

Main image: The Sunshine Coast's NetFest netball festival.