Netball New Zealand’s new boss says the organisation needs to refresh and modernise the domestic competition to make sure it’s attracting more fans.

Jennah Wootten has just begun her role as chief executive this week, at a time where the sport in New Zealand is in a precarious position.

The Silver Ferns made a huge statement by winning gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow earlier this month, to break a 16-year drought at the pinnacle event.

But the potential demise of the ANZ Premiership was playing out in the background, with serious concerns over its future and no broadcast deal in place for next season.

Wootten could not offer any guarantee that the domestic league would be back next season this morning.

“I think it’s really important that we do have something in 2027 and beyond and that is an absolute priority for me,” Wootten said.

RNZ revealed earlier this week that Anna Mowbray and Ali Williams are leading a bid to take over the licence to run an elite domestic league.

The original proposal was for a new competition to launch in 2028, but RNZ understands the high-profile couple have now presented Netball NZ with an alternative plan to fast-track the establishment of a privately-owned franchise competition for 2027.

The national body is understood to be “nervous” about a potential move to privatise the league but Wootten said that it had to make sure any model was financially sustainable.

“There are a number of options currently being looked at … what I am really conscious of is making sure the organisation is demonstrating good governance and good leadership.

“Because the decision we’re needing to make here around the future of the domestic competition is not just going to have impacts in 2027, it will have impacts into the future.

“We’ve got to make sure we’re making a decision responsibly … these are women whose livelihoods is driven through the calibre of the domestic competition.”

Netball NZ chair Alastair Carruthers revealed last month that the organisation is facing losses of up to $6 million for the financial year — $3.7m of which can be attributed to the costs of running the ANZ Premiership.

“That’s why it’s really important that we’re taking proper time and consideration to land on the decisions that we need to land,” Wootten said.

But the new netball boss believes the sport’s potential value is not currently being tapped into as much as it could.

“That’s part of what we’ve got to do here as the governing body we need to revalue and reposition the sport.

“We’ve got to be really clear on what a product looks like that is attractive to investors and commercial partners. We know we need to freshen it, we need to modernise it, we need to make sure we’re attracting more fans and eyeballs.

“There’s an enormous amount of work underway at the moment and we’re going that together with the Players’ Association and with the zones, it’s got to be a collaborative process. We’ve all go to make sure that where we land by way of a decision on this, that we’re all looking at each other and we’re saying ‘we believe this is the best possible outcome’.”

Wootten said the process around any proposals are confidential “but the work is happening at pace”.

“It’s got to be something that the players feel excited and energised about, it’s got to be something that’s attracting new and different audiences and it’s got to be something that’s sustainable into the future.”

Wootten said pressures have been building over many years.

“What’s quite clear is that revenue has been challenging, expenses have been increasing and there’s a number of market factors at play.”

But she was buoyed by the continued popularity of the sport in New Zealand.

“I think about the success and the heart of the grassroots of the game, over 150,000 registered members. You go to any of the 83 netball centres around the country, they’re absolutely pumping with young women and girls.

“Then you reflect on what happened up in Glasgow, gold medal Silver Ferns, the phenomenal performance that those athletes, the coaches, the wider management team put on display for us as New Zealanders and the rest of the world to see, it’s something pretty special.”