Craig Hutchison takes up Super Netball licence for Melbourne side to replace Collingwood

A new Victorian side, owned by media mogul Craig Hutchison and his Sports Entertainment Network (SEN), will enter the Super Netball competition – replacing the Collingwood Magpies.

Super Netball announced on Friday that SEN had been granted the licence after a tender process run by Netball Australia, who will operate the franchise in 2023 before handing the reins to SEN for 2024 onwards.

The Adelaide Thunderbirds defeated the NSW Swifts in the Super Netball grand final at John Cain Arena earlier this month.Credit: Getty Images

The new franchise will be based in Melbourne’s south-east, with its name and colours yet to be revealed.

SEN already owns four sports teams – all in basketball. They are the NBL’s Perth Wildcats, WNBL club Bendigo Spirit, the Otago Nuggets in the NZNBL and the Southern Hoiho in the NZWNBL, having had a quarter stake in the NBL’s Melbourne United, from 2018-21.

In a statement, Hutchison said: “We see an opportunity here to step up and ensure the Victorian netball community gets the second team it deserves.

“We believe firmly in the direction of the Netball Australia Board, its chief executive Kelly Ryan and the leadership team. ”

Net gain: Craig Hutchison and his SEN Entertainment Group have won the bid to run a second Melbourne netball franchise. Credit: ninevms

Netball Victoria had also submitted a bid for a second franchise, this to have been a hybrid club splitting time between Melbourne and regional areas, notably Ballarat and Bendigo. However, Super Netball’s broadcast deal with Foxtel stipulates the second Melbourne club must be based in the metropolitan area.

“However, we understood that a second metropolitan Melbourne team was preferred given the current broadcast terms,” NV said in a statement.

NV chief executive Andrea Pearman said the governing body fully supported the winning bid.

“While we presented our own strong bid, our primary goal throughout the search for the Collingwood Magpies’ replacement was to keep the licence in Victoria,” Pearman said.

“With that goal achieved, we have extended our support to Sports Entertainment Network (SEN) and look forward to working with them to ensure both Victorian teams are successful. While we assist with the establishment of the new team, we will not waver from our focus on the Vixens and their ongoing success, particularly as we prepare for the 2024 season.”

Pearman said NV will continue to push for high-performances facilities to be based in regional areas, in the hope of eventually landing a Super Netball competition.

NA had planned to reveal the eighth licensee before the Super Netball grand final earlier this month, having had a June 20 deadline for bids. But the complexity meant that deadline could not be met by a subcommittee including NA board members Peter Legg and John O’Sullivan, chief executive Ryan and external consultants Colin Smith and David Gallop.

Netball Tasmania recently withdrew its bid, while Melbourne businessman Geoff Lord had not bid after he said his Belgravia Group’s due diligence had revealed shortcomings in NA’s forecast income streams. Netball Tasmania also withdrew at the 11th hour, leaving just the two Victorian bids to answer NA’s request for proposal.

The new franchise comes after Collingwood announced their withdrawal from the national competition, Magpies players having released a scathing statement calling for greater transparency and leadership from Netball Australia.

The criticism was rejected by Ryan, but Collingwood had cited the financial woes of the sport’s governing body as a key factor in the club’s decision not to continue its netball endeavours.

The Magpies confirmed the withdrawal a week after their shock announcement that they were reviewing their netball program. While the club conceded it “could have run a better netball program”, it cited the sport’s financial woes and ongoing pay disputes as a major reason it was walking away.

With Carla Jaeger, Marnie Vinall, and Billie Eder

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