Yvonne Willering has become the first high profile casualty at the end of the first season of the trans-Tasman netball championship after the Northern Mystics announced today she had been sacked.
Willering, a former Silver Ferns coach, confirmed today she had been released from a three-year contract by the Mystics.
Her Auckland-based team finished seventh in the league, compiling a record of five wins and eight loses.
In a statement, Mystics chief executive Mark Cameron said a change in the team's coaching structure was required after an extensive review of the team's performance in this year's inaugural championship was conducted.
"The ANZ championship has brought a number of challenges, both on and off the court for the Mystics franchise," Cameron said.
"At this point, we believe a change in coaching structure is required ... in this increasingly professional era."
The franchise appreciated her passion and commitment in getting the Mystics off the ground and wished her "all the best in whatever path she chooses to walk down in the future".
Willering, who beat former Auckland Diamonds coach Sue Hawkins and New Zealand A coach, Te Aroha Keenan, for the role told Radio Sport she was stunned to be told she was sacked.
Willering, who coached the Silver Ferns from 1997-2002, said she had arrived for the meeting with Cameron and another board member thinking they would be looking at plans for next season.
"It was quite a simple statement -- they said they did not want me as coach of the Mystics for 2009 and that was it."
She had been told, amongst other things, that she was not "handling the stress of the job well" and that some of the players were lacking in motivation.
She said she didn't buy into either reason but there were out clauses in the contract for both parties.
She said that after the Mystics' campaign had got off to a slow start, she had offered to resign during the season.
"Basically (it was) because I wanted the team to perform and had to look at all the avenues.
"If the board didn't believe in me, it had to be established (and) to be fair, they said no, everything was sweet and for me to carry on.
"If everything was all right then, the latter part of the season was great so I just found it interesting that there was suddenly this swing around."
Continuous evaluations did not reveal anything specific about the team's performances and she emphasised there was no player disharmony between Auckland and North Harbour players.
Cameron said an extensive recruitment process would begin within the month to find a new coaching team for next season which was scheduled to begin in March.
