The Collingwood Magpies will withdraw its Suncorp Super Netball licence at the end of the 2023 season, the team announced Thursday.
The news comes despite the team having four games remaining this season, and leaves Super Netball searching for an eighth franchise to enter the competition when the 2024 season begins in around 10 months.
“Negotiations are already underway with interested parties for an eighth team licence for
the 2024-2026 seasons,” a Netball Australia statement read, following the first collapse of a team in the competition’s seven-year history.
Collingwood CEO Craig Kelly declared withdrawing an ‘incredibly difficult’ decision, following a club review that found the program was ‘not sustainable’.
Kelly also took a swipe at Netball Australia and the lack of a finalised Team Participation Agreement (TPA) and Collective Player Agreement (CPA), which means no player has a contract beyond the current campaign.
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Netball Australia urged to sort out CPA | 00:51
“Collingwood is a better place for having had a netball team and the decision to not renew our netball licence has been an incredibly difficult one which has weighed heavily on us,” the Pies boss said in a club statement.
“As a Club, we are tasked with continuing to deliver growth across all areas of Collingwood and ultimately, the review, which analysed key aspects of the Club’s netball program and that of the governing body, determined that the program is not sustainable.”
The Magpies have perenially underachieved since their inception in 2016, especially given the club’s star-studded roster for much of that time, and currently sit second-last on the Super Netball ladder.
They were widely tipped to win in their inaugaural season, given their strong financial backing under the AFL heavyweight club’s banner and a team that included six current or former Australian internationals.
But they finished fourth on the ladder that season, a mark they have never bettered, while the Pies have failed to ever go beyond an Elimination Final in the competition’s post-season.
“We acknowledge we could have run a better netball program at Collingwood,” Kelly continued.
“Throughout this process, we met with Netball Australia and SSN on multiple occasions to explore potential solutions. The challenges Netball Australia has experienced and continues to experience in terms of profitability combined with the current impasse in regard to finalising the TPA and CPA, played a key role in our decision-making.”
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The club also reaffirmed its support of their women’s Aussie rules program through the VLFW and AFLW.
“While the timing of an announcement like this is never ideal, or pleasant, it is important to provide our athletes, coaches and staff with clarity so they can plan for the future. We will support athletes and staff on their transition over the coming months,” Kelly continued in the statement.
“To our team, I want to thank each netballer and the wider program led by our brilliant Head Coach Nicole Richardson and outstanding Captains Geva Mentor and Ash Brazill for their contribution, loyalty and commitment to our Club.
“Each netballer who has come through the doors has made our Club better. The energy of our netballers, dedication to their craft and love of the game has been a key part of why this decision has been an incredibly difficult one to make. The training standards of our netballers is elite and they have been great role models for everyone connected to Collingwood.
“To be clear, while we are exiting netball, Collingwood remains absolutely committed to growing, investing in and developing women athletes through our AFLW and VFLW programs.
“We thank every single Member and supporter of the Magpies’ netball community for their unwavering support and loyalty and we thank all corporate partners, past and present, for their support over the course of the journey.”
NETBALL AUS, NETBALL VIC RESPOND
“While we are disappointed by Collingwood’s decision, we thank them for their participation in the Suncorp Super Netball competition,” Netball Australia CEO Kelly Ryan said in a statement.
“In recent times it had become clear that Collingwood’s priorities had shifted away from netball to focus on its core business of football,” she added.
Netball Australia further promised to support the Pies’ players and staff impacted by the move, and emphasised discussions were already underway with potential new franchises.
Meanwhile, Netball Victoria also labelled it a “disappointing outcome” in a statement, while arguing that the state still has the ‘depth’ in its netball community to support a second team despite the collapse of the Magpies program.
“While this is a disappointing outcome for the Suncorp Super Netball competition, we respect the Collingwood Magpies’ decision not to renew their licence. We know it is a decision they have not taken lightly,” a Netball Victoria statement read.
“We want to make it clear that this development does not reflect the robust health of the game across Victoria.
“Our state remains a netball stronghold and Netball Victoria is fully committed to growing the sport from grassroots to the elite level, ensuring there are thriving pathways for our athletes, officials and administrators.
“Netball Victoria is also fully committed to supporting a strong and vibrant SSN competition in 2024 and beyond.
“We believe having two Victorian-based SSN teams is important if we are to develop and retain the best netballers in this state and continue to encourage grassroots participation.
“Victoria has the depth of players, officials and administrators, as well as the passionate netball fanbase, to enable two SSN teams to compete successfully, on and off the court.
“We are working closely with Netball Australia to ensure that Victoria continues to be appropriately represented in the national competition.”
