Why new Netball Australia CEO says she can heal her fractured sport

Stacey West is the new boss of Netball Australia and is ready to bring the sport back together after two poisonous years of infighting.

Incoming Netball Australia chief executive Stacey West is adamant she has the skills to help heal the wounds of the past, tackle significant financial challenges and embrace the opportunities that lie ahead after being handed one of the biggest roles in Australian sport.

West was officially named as NA boss on Friday after occupying the role on an interim basis for the past six months since the departure of former CEO Kelly Ryan.

New Netball Australia CEO Stacey West. Photo: Getty Images

The former executive general manager of performance, West has previously been responsible for NA’s development pathways and the Diamonds program and has extensive experience as a player, coach and selector at all levels of the game.

Her thorough knowledge of the game from the grassroots to the elite level will be popular with a membership and engagement base that sits at over a million but West is also confident she has the business acumen necessary to run the massive business.

“I have had six months in the interim role and in that time we have achieved a lot and I have enjoyed the opportunity to expand my horizons into other areas of the business that are not dissimilar to high performance,” West said.

“What I’ve learned is stakeholders are key, relationships are essential and being really clear on aligned objectives is the way forward.

“So that is not dissimilar to high performance – set your goal, put the plan, do it, review it. That is the approach that we take.

“I’m absolutely ready and excited to what that journey will be for us and with us as a collective sport across the country.”

West comes into the role at a critical time for the sport given the ructions of the past few years.

Stacey West (back row left) in her former role as executive director of high performance, with the Diamonds after their World Cup win in Cape Town last year. Photo: AFP

While on the court netball has never been stronger – the Diamonds hold every major trophy in the sport including the benchmark Commonwealth Games gold medal and World Cup and participation numbers are over a million, making netball the third-highest participation sport in the country – the game has reeled from disaster to disaster off court.

From skyrocketing debt that threatened netball’s future, to the disastrous aborted Hancock Prospecting sponsorship deal, a poisonous pay war with its own elite players and the loss of millions of dollars in government funding, there have been significant administrative failings.

West believes she is well equipped to tackle those challenges and heal the sport though.

“I am and we are – the sport as a collective is ready,” she said.

“And we’re not worried, we are excited by what this season has started for us.

“From the moment that pay dispute was signed, the sport looked forward and we’ve got a great product.”

West will be in a position to report good news at next week’s AGM, with NA again posting a surplus, as well as paying down some of its debt.

West replaces former boss Kelly Ryan (above), who stepped down as CEO last December. Photo: Getty Images

While the sport reported a modest surplus last year, recovering from a Covid-induced losses of millions after Super Netball was forced into hubs around the country during the 2020 and 2021 seasons, it had not been able to pay down any of the $4m debt that was still threatening the sport’s future.

But West will tell the AGM there has been movement on that front.

“We will post and record a surplus position, so that’s two years in a row and the sport is recovered and working towards securing that financial sustainability that will very much allow us to grow,” she said.

“We are on track to hit our debt timeline as the sport needs it to and we’re in a good financial position there.”

While there has been significant churn and renewal on the board as well following Ryan’s resignation – former chair Marina Go and deputy chair John O’Sullivan have left in the past few months, while Wendy Archer will step down as chair next week – West is confident there is unity and enough renewal for the sport to move forward.

“The board is in a really great position and I’m looking forward to the AGM next week and the opportunity to work really closely with them,” she said.

Originally published as Why new Netball Australia CEO says she can heal her fractured sport