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The Collingwood Magpies has announced that it will withdraw from the Suncorp Super Netball competition at the end of the 2023 season.

In a significant blow to the competition, the withdrawal of Collingwood’s licence comes with the team having four games remaining this season, and leaves Netball Australia searching for an eighth team to round out the competition for the 2024 season.

Advising of the cessation of the program, Collingwood Chief Executive, Craig Kelly explained that the move had been an “incredibly difficult”, advising that a club review had found that the netball team was “not sustainable”.

However, Kelly was critical of Netball Australia’s role, saying that the organisation’s financial challenges and inability to negotiate team and player agreements in a timely manner had been a factor in their decision.

In a club statement, Kelly advised “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

“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.

“We acknowledge we could have run a better netball program at Collingwood.

“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 (Team Participation Agreement) and CPA (Collective Player Agreement), played a key role in our decision-making.

“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 went on to thanks the team including Head Coach Nicole Richardson and club captains Geva Mentor and Ash Brazill.

Following Collingwood’s announcement, Netball Australia advised that negotiations are underway with interested parties for an eighth team licence for the 2024-2026 seasons. 

In a statement, Netball Australia Chief Executive, Kelly Ryan explained “while we are disappointed by Collingwood’s decision, we thank them for their participation in the Suncorp Super Netball competition.

“In recent times it had become clear that Collingwood’s priorities had shifted away from netball to focus on its core business of football.

“We are understanding of the impact Collingwood’s decision has on its current players and staff, and we will support them during this time.

“We are currently talking to interested parties and look forward to communicating the next steps as this process unfolds.

“The growth of netball in Australia is strong, with more than one million participants across the country. We are proud of the Suncorp Super Netball competition, and it remains the number one professional netball league in the world.”

Image: Collingwood take on the Adelaide Thunderbirds during the 2019 Super Netball season. Credit: Shutterstock.

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