Netball Australia welcomed leaders from Netball Fiji, Netball PNG, Netball Samoa, and Tonga Netball Association to Melbourne from 10-13 March 2026 for the Strategic Leadership Workshop.
Now in its fourth edition, the workshop reflects the ongoing partnership between Netball Australia and Pacific Netball Federations in a shared commitment to strengthening netball across the region.
The workshop forms part of Netball’s Ocean of Power, a program focused on the development and empowerment of women in netball across the Pacific, supported by the Australian Government through the Pacific Women’s Sports Administration Program.
The Strategic Leadership Workshop invited leaders from Fiji, PNG, Samoa and Tonga to Melbourne.
COLLABORATING TO SUCCEED
Board members, CEOs, and staff from each Pacific federation came together for four days of learning and discussion, with participants representing all areas of their organisations, from community development and high performance to governance, finance and strategy.
Sessions were delivered by expert facilitators from across Australia and the Pacific, covering topics such as project planning, leadership practices, governance and financial management, high performance development, and media and communications.
CEO of Netball PNG Lynette Maha highlighted the value of the workshop.
“Netball Australia provides the opportunity to receive first-hand information and hear from experts in their various fields which helps build confidence for staff,” she explained.
Participants represented a variety of areas within their organisations, including high-performance, governance, finance, and strategy.
CEO of Tonga Netball Association and President of Oceania Netball Federation Salote Sisifa echoed Maha’s sentiment.
“The Strategic Leadership Workshop is an important platform for all partners to share knowledge, common challenges, and solutions which we can take away and tailor to the context of our countries,” she said.
“Netball Australia have been great in continuing this initiative. It keeps us informed and on the same page. This brings us closer not just as colleagues but reaffirms the netball family of Oceania working and learning alongside one another.”
CELEBRATING PROGRESS ACROSS THE PACIFIC
The four-day workshop commenced with an opportunity for each federation to reflect on achievements and challenges from the past year.
Major milestones included international tournaments being hosted by Fiji and Tonga, ongoing umpire education and accreditation across federations, as well as increased collaboration between Netball Australia and Pacific federations to support the growth of netball.
Program Manager at Netball Samoa Tusi Faasootau-Ale reflected on the value of working together across the region.
“The biggest success is being able to share this with our sister countries,” she said.
“The only way is for us to move forward together.”
Faasootau-Ale praised the increased collaboration across Pacific Netball Federations during the past year.
SUSTAINABILITY & DEVELOPMENT
A key focus of the Strategic Leadership Workshop was ensuring Pacific Netball Federations are well equipped to build sustainable futures for the sport.
To support this, participants took part in sessions exploring financial sustainability, project management, and workforce development.
Marlene Dutta, an experienced leader in business development across the Pacific, led discussions on financial capability, focusing on strategies to increase revenue and build partnerships, so federations can continue to grow and deliver impactful programs within their communities.
Drawing on her experience working across the region, she was able to provide insights that resonated with the realities faced by Pacific federations.
“I consider myself first and foremost a Pacific Islander, born and raised in Fiji. I’m not an expert on any of your countries, but I do understand something of your countries,” she said.
Participants took part in sessions exploring financial sustainability, project management, and workforce development.
Ensuring speakers understood the unique challenges faced across Pacific nations was a key priority for the workshop, particularly when exploring ways to build sustainable futures for the federations. CEO of Netball Samoa Justine Samu highlighted this impact.
“Marlene Dutta’s session not only cemented Netball Samoa were on the right track, but also made me reframe my perspective on my approach to sponsors – this was highly valuable and especially coming from someone who is based in the Pacific and understands our context,” she said.
SAFEGUARDING & INCLUSION
Keeping netball a safe and empowering space for girls and women, maintaining safeguarding and inclusion practices are a crucial part of federation leadership.
Speakers Tahina Booth and Keesha Booth from Grass Skirt Project guided participants through conversations around safeguarding and community engagement.
To guide the conversation, Keesha drew upon Talanoa guidelines including respect, listening deeply, speaking with humility, and cultural safety.
Tahina Booth and Keesha Booth from Grass Skirt Project guided participants through conversations around safeguarding.
The session reinforced how to integrate safeguarding policy into practice on the ground directly with communities while maintaining culture.
“If you can get people to talk about really difficult taboo topics and use sport as that leverage point, then you can make huge movements socially,” Keesha said.
“The role of sports in the Pacific is incredibly impactful so if any sports institutions lead it and integrate safeguarding into their day-to-day operations it has a huge impact in how it plays out in the community.”
Faasootau-Ale emphasised the significance of this workshop in broadening responsibility across all areas of the netball ecosystem with regards to safeguarding.
“It takes a village, if you see every child as someone part of your family. That’s what I’ve learned sitting here, to honour and normalise safeguarding in everyday conversation and within our organisations.”
LEGACY & IMPACT
Leaders from Australia supported Pacific Netball Federations by sharing their expertise to advance growth and strategic planning.
Netball Australia’s Executive General Manager of Netball Megan Simpson delivered a session drawing on more than 20 years of experience across grassroots and high-performance netball.
Simpson, also a former Head Coach of the Fiji Pearls, discussed the importance of consistency and strong culture in building successful national programs.
Megan Simpson ran a Q&A session for Pacific netball leaders, drawing on more than 20 years of experience across high-performance and grassroots netball.
Netball Australia Workforce Development Manager Kim Bailey also shared insights on providing pathways for coaches and umpires, including education and training opportunities.
Amy Thorp, General Manager Legal and Integrity at Netball Australia led federations on policy development processes to strengthen governance, risk management and regulatory frameworks.
Continuing the focus on learning and future opportunities, participants also heard from Netball World Cup 2027 Chief Executive Officer Mark Falvo and Legacy Lead Alana Fechner, who shared insights into the upcoming international tournament and explored ways federations could become involved in the event.
This was followed by a session led by ABC International Project Manager Sally Eeles on media and communications, supporting federations to showcase their stories and strengthen netball’s profile in the Pacific.
The Strategic Leadership Workshop was a week of learning and sharing perspectives to continue growing netball across the Pacific.
LOOKING AHEAD
Netball Australia Head of Market Development Sallee Caldwell said the workshop plays an important role in continuing to strengthen netball across the Pacific.
“The Strategic Leadership Workshop is an opportunity for Pacific Netball Federations to connect and share ideas, work through challenges they may be facing, while also celebrating each federation’s successes,” she said.
“We hope participants walk away with some additional tools and learnings to continue delivering netball in their countries as the sport continues to grow across the region.”
As Netball Australia prepares to host the 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney and continues its pursuit of Olympic inclusion, the organisation is committed to strengthening relationships with Pacific Netball Federations.
Through Netball’s Ocean of Power, Netball Australia will continue work alongside Pacific federations to build organisational capacity and strengthen people-to-people connections uniting Australian and Pacific netball communities.
Interested in Netball Australia’s international development work? See more here.
