Just over a month ago, Super Netball launched its bold and exciting new marketing campaign for the 2023 season.
The campaign signalled new ambition for the competition putting into focus the diversity of the incredible athletes who compete and their dedication and athleticism to their sport.
The problem with featuring a bold statement like 'we are here' in this campaign is that the competition and more broadly, Netball Australia, need to be able to back it up.
It's fair to say after the first three rounds, fans may be questioning whether the SSN is really here at all as a professional Australian sporting competition due to a number of unfortunate incidents.
In round two in the game between the Melbourne Vixens and the Collingwood Magpies, the Vixens were given two consecutive centre passes in the closing moments of the game. The Vixens beat the Magpies by a goal, prompting Collingwood coach Nichole Richardson to declare the situation "an absolute fiasco". Whether this will have an impact at the pointy end of the season remains to be seen.
This followed a game between the Adelaide Thunderbirds and the NSW Swifts being abandoned just 24 hours earlier due to two separate issues. The game at Netball South Australia Stadium started an hour late due to safety concerns about the sponsor decals on the court. These decals then had to be removed. Then, due to a power failure at half time, the game could not be finished in the league's 120-minute match window, resulting in a draw.
More recently, in round three in the game between the Swifts and Queensland Firebirds, there was a scoreboard issue at Ken Rosewall Arena which meant that the score was not displayed for most of the first half, causing challenges for fans and players alike.
None of these moments are ideal for a professional sporting competition and the best domestic netball competition in the world.
Should we talk about this? 😲
— Fox Netball (@fox_netball) March 27, 2023
Netball Australia is reviewing the circumstances that led to an error in the fourth quarter of yesterday's match between the Collingwood Magpies and the Melbourne Vixens, where the Vixens were awarded two consecutive centre passes. pic.twitter.com/qqPdNnLxBY
So how do you fix these challenges, noting that they touch on a variety of different areas including facilities, umpiring and systems and processes?
I've seen plenty of commentary on social media. People are disappointed, angry and upset about these gaffes and are potentially still holding onto some resentment following the challenges Netball Australia faced last year including the decision to relocate the Grand Final to Western Australia, the way the proposed $15 million sponsorship deal with Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting was handled and the financial challenges which the sport is facing.
While it's easy to blame Netball Australia and its board, there are a couple of factors worth noting and these factors aren't just faced by netball, they are common challenges faced by so many Australian National Sporting Organisations.
We are asking for a lot from the people that are charged to govern sport.
I am fairly confident that the board of Netball Australia are all volunteers. Being a director, and particularly a volunteer, at a financially challenged NSO is not for the faint-hearted. Apart from the basic director obligations which must be fulfilled (and if they are not fulfilled can come with heavy financial penalties and even jail time), sport brings an extra layer of challenges including the relationship between Netball Australia and the various states, the growing importance of athlete safety and wellbeing and the increased opportunity and challenge which athlete advocacy can bring.
Whilst it might sound glamorous to administer a sport, most people sit on boards because they love the sport and feel like they have a skillset which may contribute. In addition to a full-time job and family commitments, it is a significant undertaking. I don't think that this is well understood.
Additionally, for the staff that work in netball, they are working in a dramatically changing industry. Sport was once seen as a 'dream job' for young graduates, because sport is sport. Willing to work for lower pay than they might receive in the private sector and longer hours (including on weekends) was done for the love of it. I'm not sure this is the case anymore and that sport is the job opportunity it once was, forcing organisations and employees to do more with less.
I don't want to offer excuses, because it's not good enough to throw our hands up in the air and give up, but challenges are absolutely going to arise. As hard as it is, I encourage fans to try and understand this.
The reality is that Netball Australia is not flush with cash like Cricket Australia, NRL and AFL, so upgrading facilities is not easy. It relies on Netball Australia having strong relationships with its state-based organisations and then working together with the relevant stakeholders (like Government) to secure a result. Perhaps a list of requirements for stadiums hosting Super Netball matches is necessary, but what if this means there is no commercial or suitable option in Adelaide?
The area where I really do see opportunity is in the systems and processes Netball Australia has set up to administer the competition. Having systems and processes in place, but whether they are used and adhered to is more important. Like a process to make sure the court and the decals are tested early enough in advance, so that any issues can be rectified. Or a system in place to ensure that a coach can effectively challenge a refereeing decision before it's too late.
In the last year, Netball Australia has been under siege and the opening rounds of the SSN have not helped. But I'm hopeful that in the next few weeks we can talk about something different; preferably about how close the competition is and the next generation of SSN superstars.