Netball Victoria disappointed Super Netball bidding process open to all

The Collingwood Magpies have played their final game in Super Netball but their replacements could come from anywhere in Australia. Netball Victoria is asking why.

Netball Victoria has expressed its disappointment at the open bidding process for the eighth Super Netball licence, believing the hunt for Collingwood’s replacement should have been restricted to the Garden State.

The Magpies bowed out of the competition on Saturday night, playing their final game against defending premiers West Coast Fever in Tasmania.

Applications for their replacement – a team that will have to be in place in just months as Netball Australia races to fulfil its obligation to broadcasters to run an eight-team competition – close on Tuesday.

Netball Victoria believes there still needs to be two Super Netball teams in Victoria despite the demise of the Collingwood Magpies. Photo: Getty Images

But the decision to allow applications from across the country has frustrated many in Victoria, including, reportedly, the State Government after it came to the rescue of the national body with a $15m sponsorship package just days after the collapse of the Hancock Prospecting deal last year.

NV signalled early their intention to bid for the licence to ensure players in the state knew they would fight for the sport.

Rich-lister and Melbourne Victory founder Geoff Lord, has reportedly entered his bid for a Melbourne-based team, while the NV bid would have a more regional focus.

But NV chief executive Andrea Pearman said it was disappointing entities outside Victoria had been able to bid.

“It is really disappointing and it’s disappointing for us because the strength of Victorian netball and the quality of netball champions that were produced means that we can absolutely warrant two licenses here,” Pearman said.

“I think the other thing that’s disappointing is just the amount of investment that the Victorian Government have made in our sport in Victoria as well.

“They’ve spent probably close to $200 million in funding different netball initiatives across the state in the last few years and we’ve got Comm Games (in 2026) and a whole heap of legacy infrastructure that will be coming to netball.

“So to take a team away is a bit of a slap really.

“I think it’s disappointing that we’ve had this great support and we’re choosing to basically undermine that by opening (the bid process) up.”

Both sides huddle after the round 13 Super Netball match between Melbourne Vixens and Collingwood Magpie. Picture: Getty Images)

Expansion hopefuls Gold Coast and Canberra have ruled themselves out as bidders given the quick turnaround, while a stand-alone Netball Geelong venture is also out of the question for 2024.

Netball Tasmania has expressed interest, although CEO Mitch Coulson has acknowledged the difficulties of building a club from scratch in just months.

While the NV-run Melbourne Vixens will continue to play out of Melbourne’s John Cain Arena, a new Victorian side would look to exploit the popularity of the sport throughout the state, playing out of regional centres Bendigo, Ballarat and Geelong in the lead-up to the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

That popularity is not just an assumption either.

Statistics provided by Nielsen Sports to support a regional Victorian team within Super Netball suggest there is a large potential fan base for a second team in the state.

Nielsen identified more than 230,000 netball fans in regional Victoria, while there are 140,000 fans in Melbourne who don’t currently support a team and 145,000 Magpies fans who are now without a Super Netball side.

Originally published as Netball Victoria disappointed Super Netball bidding process open to all