The Chair of Netball Australia Wendy Archer AM has today notified the Board that she will be stepping down from the role at the sport’s Annual General Meeting in May.
Ms Archer was appointed Chair in October 2022 and has been a Board Director since 2018. She plans to stay on as a Director until her three-year term ends in May 2025 to work with the new Chair to ensure a smooth transition.
Ms Archer said now was the right time to step down to renew the Board and allow a new Chair to lead the sport.
Deputy Chair John O’Sullivan recently resigned his Board position to focus on business and create a Board vacancy.
“The Netball Australia Board embraces renewal to ensure a fresh injection of ideas to continue to expand our great game,’’ Ms Archer said.
“The netball family is growing. With more than one million grassroots players in every town and suburb across the nation we are the heart and soul of communities. The sport has led the way for 97 years providing opportunities for girls and women to achieve their dreams on the court. We are proud that other sports are now following us in providing pathways and netball will continue to shine a light on the journey ahead.’’
Ms Archer said it was an exciting time for the sport to reach new audiences as it prepares to celebrate both the sport’s centenary and the Netball World Cup in Australia in 2027.
“Netball Australia is successfully driving a commercial turnaround after the challenges of the pandemic and doing the hard work required on strategic development to continue to grow the game.
“Our elite competition, Suncorp Super Netball, welcomes a new team when the season starts on 13 April, and our Origin Australian Diamonds sit atop of the world providing inspiration for new generations of girls and young women.’’
“Netball Australia last year completed a new pay deal with our players. It was challenging, but together we have achieved a landmark agreement where players are now true partners sharing in the future growth and success of our game.’’
Ms Archer said being Chair was a true privilege and would be leaving the role with confidence in the Netball Australia leadership to lift netball to new heights.
“My sincere message to players and fans is that this a great sport. My heartfelt thank you to everyone who makes this game such a success. That includes the players and coaching staff, the Netball Australia executive leadership and staff, the Member Organisations and Suncorp Super Netball clubs, the Australian Netball Players’ Association, our commercial and broadcast partners, all the volunteers, and everyone who just loves the game. A very special thank you to my fellow Board members for their continued support.’’
The nomination and Expression of Interest for elected and appointed directors has been released. The Board welcomes potential candidates and has already been approached in recent months by people wanting to join the Board, and would also proactively seek out candidates.
Netball Australia last month announced two new Board appointments who will bring valuable experience, skills, ideas and passion to the Board.
Respected political, business and legal sector leader Gabrielle Upton was the NSW Government’s first female Attorney General and served in five other senior portfolios, including Minister for Sport.
Ms Upton has broad governance experience in the legal and financial sectors, and was previously the Deputy Chancellor of the University of New South Wales.
The second Board appointment was experienced netball administrator Kirrily Zimmerman who is the former President of the Netball Victoria Board. She currently sits on the Netball Victoria Hall of Fame and Legends of the Game committee, and has demonstrated decades of commitment to growing the sport at a grassroots level and creating strong pathways to the elite level.
