Netball Australia director secretly stepped down, new documents reveal

The Netball Australia director who was in charge during the Hancock Prospecting saga quietly stood down from the board just three days after ex-CEO Kelly Ryan resigned.

Marina Go walked away from her position as director on December 15, documents filed to the corporate regulator on Thursday revealed, following weeks of public turmoil for the sport and mounting pressure for changes to its leadership.

Former Netball Australia chair Marina Go quietly left the sport’s board just days after CEO Kelly Ryan resigned. Credit: Louise Kennerley

Until this masthead approached Netball Australia, there had been no formal statement from the sport about Go’s departure, who was first appointed to the board in 2007.

However, Go had been removed from the list of directors from the governing body’s website, and her LinkedIn profile had also been updated.

Asked by this masthead on Friday about her exit, Go said it was “simply time” and did not attribute Ryan’s resignation as the reason she left.

Netball Australia issued this statement on Friday after it was approached:

“Marina Go has informed the Netball Australia board that she will be stepping down as a director. The board is well advanced in the process to choose a new director and an announcement is expected soon.”

Wendy Archer, the current Netball Australia chair, also thanked Go for her tenure.

“Marina is passionate and committed to our sport and has played a pivotal role in transforming our game, helping improve the financial stability and growing the sport to a record of more than one million players nationally,” Archer said.

The accomplished Sydney-based businesswoman was appointed the inaugural chair of the now-defunct Super Netball commission in 2019. After a merger with the Netball Australia board in 2022, Go was elected as chair.

Diamonds star Jo Weston spoke through tears late last year as she described the impact of the pay war with Netball Australia.Credit: Simon Schluter

She relinquished her position months later during the sponsorship saga in which Hancock Prospecting pulled its $15 million sponsorship deal over concerns about the sport’s “disunity problems”, but remained on the board as director.

At the time, Netball Australia adamantly denied the off-court controversy – and the criticism at how the sport handled it – was the reason for Go stepping down, instead describing the departure as a “planned transition”.

“I was only ever going to stay to establish the [Super Netball commission] (one term only), as I believe that nine years is already more time than any director should spend on a board of this type,” Go wrote in a text message on Friday.

“I stepped down from [the Netball Australia chair role] after 18 months but agreed to stay on the board for another year to assist with the transition and for stability.

“That year expired in December 2023. Between the NA board and Super Netball commission I have devoted almost 12 years to netball. It was simply time.”

The documents also revealed that on the day Ryan resigned as CEO, Steven Hancock – boss of finance and operations – was appointed as company secretary. This is in line with ASIC requirements.

The timing of Go’s secretive departure in December followed weeks of public turmoil for the sport, and mounting pressure for changes to leadership.

During those weeks, as the year-long pay dispute reached new levels of animosity, it was revealed the sport had lost $17 million in federal funding, and its broadcaster, Foxtel, was concerned over the sport’s viewership.

Adding to the pressure was a petition released by Diamonds legend Joyce Brown calling for the immediate change of leadership.

It amounted in Ryan tendering her resignation on December 12, two years after she took on the chief role – which Go appointed her to in July 2021.

Critics at the time – including senior netball sources who spoke to this masthead on the condition of anonymity – believed Ryan’s exit was not enough to address the problems it was facing internally, and pushed for an overhaul of the board.

On the same day news broke of Ryan’s resignation, Archer told reporters that changes to the board would be discussed in the coming days, and at an AGM in January.

She also denied the governing body had any discussions with Ryan before she stood down.

Go remains on several other boards, including as chair of Adore Beauty. She is also the non-executive director of Energy Australia, 7-Eleven, Autosports Group and Transurban.

Both Ryan and Go have expressed public support for one another, with Ryan thanking her former chair for “[showing] faith in me to lead the sport” in a LinkedIn post announcing her resignation.

Go responded to that post, writing:“Congratulations on all that you achieved Kelly. It was an honour and a pleasure to work with you.”

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