Netball calls on Ellis to lead game out of crisis

Netball Australia has tapped the nation’s greatest player to lead a panel review in search of new models that can help it survive the COVID-19 crisis.

”I will do the thing that is right for the sport and best for the sport” Liz Ellis on her new role with Netball Australia Picture: Richard Walker

Netball Australia has tapped the nation’s greatest player to lead a panel review of the sport’s structures, in search of new models that can help it survive the COVID-19 crisis.

Liz Ellis will conduct a “state of the game” investigation that will seek input from players, fans, the community and commercial partners before reporting back by the end of September.

The all-female panel also includes Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jen­kins, and boardroom veterans Wendy Machin and Joe Pollard.

Chief executive Marne Fechner said that financial realities have forced Netball Australia to look for more efficient ways to operate.

“I don’t think we have a choice, to be honest. We are very much in survival mode,” Fechner said.

Kayo is your ticket to the best sport streaming Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

“We can’t have broadcast conversations, we can’t talk to our commercial partners unless we can be really clear about what our future looks like.”

Ellis said that she’s focused on governance structures, which aren’t sexy but will drive performance in the future. Fechner added that this could mean reworking netball’s longstanding federated model of governance, which places substantial power and responsibilities in the hands of state-based organisations.

Sources of efficiency, and identifying duplication across netball’s many layers, will be a key factor in the success of this review according to Fechner.

Consultation has been a sore spot in netball since the sudden introduction of a two-point shot in June, despite a lack of support from fans or players.

Ellis warned that although she wants to hear from everyone involved in the sport in conducting this review, there’s a difference between consultation and doing what everyone says.

“I have never set out to do things as a popular vote. It’s just not how I roll. But I will do the thing that is right for the sport and best for the sport,” she said.