Netball Australia Announces Suncorp Super Netball Commission

Netball Australia has announced it will form an independent commission to govern its Suncorp Super Netball competition ahead of the 2019 season.

Recognising the need to further advance the structure and governance driving the Suncorp Super Netball league, Netball Australia is establishing the Commission before the 2019 season to ensure the league has every opportunity to continue to grow and compete in an ever-developing sport entertainment landscape.

Following the framework of the AFL and NRL, the Commission will oversee and make all decisions relating to the league and bring additional and focused authority, influence and commercial leadership to ensure the long-term sustainability of the league and clubs, which is about to head into its third year of existence.

Netball Australia CEO, Marne Fechner, said the establishment of the Commission is a turning point for the sport with commissioners to bring specialised expertise to continue the advancement and evolution of the league, with a focus on commercial growth.

“The vision for Suncorp Super Netball is to be the top sporting league for women worldwide, and to achieve that we need to put the necessary structures and resources in place,” she said.

“We’re excited that Suncorp Super Netball is taking this step forward and believe the Commission will provide a more focused and streamlined operating model that will fast-track growth in all key measures of the league.”

The Commission will be directly accountable for all aspects relating to the operational and strategic growth of the League, whilst expanding netball’s influence in business, government and media.

The Commission will consist of six independent commissioners plus the Netball Australia CEO.

Each commissioner will be selected based on a skill set that is relevant to the strategic imperatives of the league and will be appointed by the Netball Australia Board.

Suncorp Super Netball will remain wholly owned by Netball Australia, however, the Commission will be given the mandate to self-govern and lead its own operations.

Super Netball replaced the former trans-Tasman Championship in 2017 with Netball Australia signing a five-year revenue-sharing agreement with the Nine Network.