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'It's not too late': Netball NZ boss rejects fears as new era takes shape
Sport Nation • September 1st, 2026 4:54 pm
Netball New Zealand Chief Executive Jennah Wootten (r) speaks to media as New Zealand Netball Players' Association General Manager Pippa Moore (l) looks on | Photo: Photosport
Jennah Wootten says it is not too late to rebuild New Zealand’s domestic netball competition, despite a number of leading players signing contracts overseas.
Speaking with Sport Nation's Millsy and Guy, the Netball New Zealand CEO said the decision to pursue privatisation with Anna Mowbray and Ali Williams had been carefully considered over several months.
Wootten said Netball NZ had explored six or seven possible options before narrowing the process down to two key models.
“One of which was privatisation,” she said.
“The other option is what I describe as a more financially sustainable and commercially attractive version of what was delivered in 2026.”
She rejected the suggestion that the number of players moving overseas had forced Netball NZ into making a call under duress.
“We weren’t going to be rushed into making the decision because a decision like this is going to have generational impacts,” Wootten said.
The confirmed term sheet guarantees a minimum of five teams for 2027, although Wootten believes the final number could be higher.
“I wouldn’t discount that there might be more,” she said. “I know both Anna and Ali have huge ambitions for where we’re going to be able to take this competition.”
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Around 18 players have already signed contracts offshore, including members of the Silver Ferns’ Commonwealth Games-winning group. Wootten said Netball NZ understood why players had made those decisions after being unable to offer certainty around the domestic competition.
The focus now, she said, is on making the new league compelling enough to bring some of them home.
But Wootten also believes the changes could open the door for players who have previously been on the fringes of elite netball.
“Those many players that have chosen to stay at home are going to have something to get really excited about now,” she said.
“I’m sure all of us are going to be learning some new names in elite netball that we haven’t heard previously.”
Wootten was adamant the sport itself remained in a strong position, pointing to more than 150,000 grassroots members and the Silver Ferns’ recent Commonwealth Games success.
“The strength of the sport is in an incredibly good place,” she said.
“We’ve just got to reposition and revalue things commercially to ensure that from a financial standpoint, we’re equally as strong as the governing body.”
The next step is to finalise a long-form agreement with Mowbray and Ali Williams, giving the domestic game a clear direction after months of uncertainty.
Listen to the full interview below:
