Netball Queensland boss Catherine Clark calls for reform after Indigenous round gaffe

Calls for reform after Super Netball’s only Indigenous player warmed the bench in Indigenous round.

Queensland Firebirds player Jemma Mi Mi was left on the bench in Indigenous round. Picture: Brendan Radke

Netball Queensland chief executive Catherine Clark has called for urgent reform in the wake of widespread outrage after the league’s only Indigenous player, Jemma Mi Mi, did not play in Super Netball’s Indigenous round.

“On Sunday, I feel that we let her down and in doing so, we let down a lot of fans of netball,” Clark wrote in a September 23 letter to Netball Queensland staff. It is the only time the Netball Queensland boss, who is now on medical leave, has addressed the issue.

On Sunday September 20, Mi Mi watched from the bench as her Queensland Firebirds teammates defeated the Melbourne Vixens.

After the match, many former Indigenous players, including retired Diamonds Marcia Ella-Duncan and Sharon Finnan-White, expressed their disappointment and frustration with the Firebirds, and with netball.

Clark explained that she had expected Mi Mi to be selected in the Firebirds’ starting team, but now understands that her coaches made a different call under pressure to retain their jobs. The Queensland was once a powerhouse in Australian netball, but the Firebirds finished with a wooden spoon in 2019. The team has missed the finals in three of the past four seasons.

“Our error was not in fielding the best team to win a game. Our Team fought so hard for that win and I am proud of what they achieved. But it was our error to hold Jemma up and then not let her light shine on court for all to see.”

The debate that followed that match “is evidence that we, leaders in the Australian Netball system, need to take action”, Clark wrote. She added that this is a national issue, and not up to Queensland alone.

“It isn’t fair to heap all that pressure on one player, on one game and lay the blame on one club for the situation our sport finds itself in. We are the only club with an Indigenous player. That is the tragedy. We must convert frustration into busting through the barriers to build the bridge for those athletes into (Super Netball).”

Clark has called for co-ordinated reforms that largely sit with Netball Australia. The first is increasing Super Netball team sizes, with a quota for Indigenous participation at every club. She also suggested that federal funding needs to be committed to support Indigenous performance pathways in every state and territory.

Another issue raised was the Australian Diamonds uniform, which Clark said should reflect Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.

Netball Australia has tasked an independent panel led by former Diamond Liz Ellis to conduct an extensive review of the sport’s structures. Indigenous participation issues are expected to be a key element of the panel’s recommendations, which are expected in late October.

In her letter, Clark announced she has taken leave after an urgent medical procedure, and that Netball Queensland’s chair Eugenie Buckley has stepped in as acting chief executive.

“I am at home but wish I was there with my tribe. We are weathering a storm but please remember who we are and the great work we are doing. Both our achievements and our mistakes occur on the big stage so our job as leaders is to learn from our experience and never lose sight of our purpose.”