Infighting, culture wars and financial woes have eclipsed netball’s successes. So how did Australia’s biggest women’s sport get in this mess, and how can it be saved?
“What I don’t understand is what strategy there is to make Super Netball profitable. And to me, that’s something that’s really missing,” one netball figure said.
But there are fears within the sport that a private equity takeover would irrevocably harm netball, and even those who support a buyout of the league believe a partner that understands the sport’s vision is integral.Asked why the sport was not pursuing private equity investment, Ryan said: “[Some people may think that] capital injections are free money, but they’re not, and serious consideration is required when making these decisions.
Part of the contract means if netball decided to develop other competitions – such as a global championship or all-star comp – Foxtel would fund all the TV production. The contract also allows for the addition of two more teams to Super Netball, increasing the league’s matches from four to five a week.But because of the costs Netball Australia would incur , doubt has been cast about whether this is a viable option.
So, how can netball convert its great strength – its participation base – into an elite competition that can not only sustain itself but generate revenue to be reinvested in the sport?“Netball players are by and large, intelligent, capable women. They constantly get pushed to the curb by people who can’t be bothered understanding what they think,” one senior netball figure said.Ryan rejected this suggestion, insofar as it was directed at her.
The federated model of the sport means the state bodies have voting rights in the national body, and, in addition, each runs a team in Super Netball. “The relationships with the member organisations – because of the political imbalance – it means that it’s managed more on a sort of friendship group basis, rather than you know, just good old hard economic rationalisation.”“There is a strength to netball’s federated model that allows us to connect and learn from the grassroots member associations right through to the other states and Netball Australia,” she said.
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