While administrators grapple with decisions over the future of New Zealand’s domestic netball competition, the country’s leading players are headed for the exits.

This week will provide the clearest picture yet of the scale of the talent drain facing Netball New Zealand, as the contracting window for the Australian league opens on Monday.

According to netball officials, upwards of 15 players are expected to head offshore for the 2027 season — the vast majority bound for Australia’s Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) competition, while three are understood to have secured contracts in the United Kingdom.

The exodus comes amid ongoing uncertainty over the future of the ANZ Premiership. Without a broadcast deal in place for next season, Netball NZ has been unable to provide any assurances there will elite domestic competition next year.

Five members of the Silver Ferns team that won gold at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games last month — captain Karin Burger, Grace Nweke, Kelly Jackson, Kate Heffernan and Maddy Gordon — featured in this year’s SSN. Among the names rumoured to be joining them in 2027 are Mila Reuelu-Buchanan, Carys Stythe and Georgia Heffernan — the twin sister of Kate.

Former Silver Ferns captain and star goal attack Ameliaranne Ekenasio has also been linked with a move across the Tasman.

For the past two weeks Australian franchises have only been able to re-sign existing players, but from Monday clubs are free to contract players from other teams or outside the league.

However, New Zealand Netball Players’ Association (NZNPA) general manager Pippa Moore said most players have already signed letters of intent with Australian franchises, and predicts a “frenzy” of announcements over the coming days.

“It’s important to understand that when [the contract window] opens, that’s when the players sign, so these conversations have all been happening behind the scenes for weeks now and there’s letters of intent that have gone out,” said Moore.

“So what happens on Monday is the contract that has already been discussed is sent out, the players sign it, and that’s that.

“We are hearing a significant number of players will be playing overseas next year.”

The exodus follows a change to Netball NZ’s eligibility criteria. RNZ revealed last month the national body had scrapped the final restrictions preventing Silver Ferns and other top players from taking up contracts overseas, removing the requirement for athletes to receive a dispensation to remain eligible for national selection.

The change was agreed to by the Netball NZ board, in recognition that it was unable to provide players with any certainty that there will be a professional competition next season.

Netball NZ chief executive Jennah Wootten, who started in the top job less than a week ago, accepted a significant number of leading players will likely take up opportunities overseas.

“We completely understand and respect why players are needing to make decisions in regards to opportunities abroad,” she said.

“This is players’ livelihoods and they’ve got to make decisions that are right for them and their families. We wanted to make sure that they still had the option to look at other possibilities while [Netball NZ] are working to get that clarity.”

Wootten said the organisation is working through a “number” of options for the domestic league, but would not specify what those options were, or even how many options there were.

“I can’t give specifics in terms of the quantum, but there are a number,” she said.

“There’s a couple of different processes that are being worked through concurrently and there’s various confidentiality provisions that are in place, but there have been numerous meetings and numerous conversations and those are ongoing.”

However, Wootten did confirm Netball NZ was exploring a private-ownership model.

RNZ revealed last week high-profile couple Anna Mowbray and Ali Williams are leading a bid to establish a new privately-owned franchise competition.

The league was initially pitched for 2028, but it is understood Mowbray and Williams, who own a 15% stake in A-League club Auckland FC, have since presented Netball NZ with an alternative plan that would provide a potential lifeline for 2027.

The move to expedite the timeline for the project comes amid growing concern over what next year’s domestic netball landscape will look like.

According to one source familiar with the discussions, the proposal for 2027 would be a scaled-back version of the private ownership group’s broader ambitions.

“It won’t be the fully-realised product that is envisaged for 2028, I guess it would be more like a beta phase.”

On the surface the proposal from Mowbray and Williams offers a ready-made solution for Netball NZ’s current challenges, essentially allowing the national body to offload the financial burden of running the ANZ Premiership, which operated at a deficit of $3.7 million for the 2026 season.

But the national body appears to be taking a cautious approach to private ownership.

Wootten said the organisation needed to ensure it was demonstrating good governance and taking time to consider all the options.

“When I think about the options, it’s not just a decision for 2027. I think if it was, this would be a far simpler conversation. But we’ve got to make sure that we are landing a domestic competition that is sustainable, that is attractive, that is compelling for 27 and beyond.”

The newly appointed chief executive said there was no set date by which the organisation needed to make a decision.

“I don’t have a specific date, but it weighs really heavily on me how critical the timeline is. This is impacting players’ lives, and we need to give them certainty. But at the same time, we need to make sure that the right decision is being landed on.”

While Wootten and Netball NZ have consistently stated that they are in confidential discussions with the zones and NZNPA, players’ association representatives claimed it has not been provided with any detail of the various plans being explored by the national body.

Pippa Moore said the players are “beyond frustrated” with the lack of what they consider meaningful engagement from the national body, and the length of time the process is taking.

“The reality is a decision needed to be made months and months ago, all the while the players are in a state of limbo — they’re understandably anxious and concerned.”

Moore said the NZNPA was aware of a proposal from private investors to take over the running of the league.

“From the players’ point of view, [private investment] is the only viable option. An amateur league is not acceptable and it is extremely concerning that Netball New Zealand are refusing to rule out returning to an amateur league when there are proposals before them that would keep players in a job.

“We’re going to see a lot of players go overseas, but that’s not an option for everybody. There are many players with family or job commitments here that cannot simply pack up a move.”