Netball: Bannister steps aside, citing family reasons

Netball Southland and Steel chief executive David Bannister has resigned, citing family commitments.

Bannister has been at the helm since January and was expected to be appointed chief executive of Netball South.

However, he has decided to return to Australia to be with his family.

"As a family, we made the decision for Kylie and the boys to return home to Brisbane in September for a variety of reasons," he said.

"It has been extremely difficult living in different countries so I have made the tough call to resign so I can return to Australia to be with my family. They have always been, and continue to be, my No1 priority."

Netball South chairman Paul Buckner said while Bannister was unable to take up the role with Netball South, the board had plenty of expertise to call on to ensure minimal disruption until a chief executive was appointed.

"We will continue to make positive progress for netball in the south - we have a talented and exciting roster of players competing for the Steel next season and some great initiatives to roll out for the benefit of community netball across the region," he said.

"The strong and professional delivery of our sport remains a focus and I am confident we will have the right personnel to make that happen - from the top down."

Bannister was confident the introduction of Netball New Zealand's zone-based governance model would prove successful across all levels of the sport - from the grassroots to the elite ranks of the Steel.

"The transition from Netball Southland to the new Netball South entity is an exciting one but it also needs someone who can commit to seeing the process through in its entirety. Unfortunately, that's not something I am able to do so, with the organisation's best interests also in mind, I have stepped aside," he said.

"I'm proud of what has been achieved in my time here, specifically leaving the franchise in a better financial position, giving a strong base to build on in the future."