Netball NZ pulls the pin on proposed Mowbray-Williams private league

Netball New Zealand has pulled the pin on plans for a privately run domestic league, just eight weeks after signing a term sheet with investors Anna Mowbray and Ali Williams.It is understood the decision to abandon the proposal was made at a Netball NZ board meeting on Wednesday, throwing the future of next year's domestic competition up in the air once more.In a statement issue to RNZ on Friday morning, Netball NZ confirmed the decision."Despite considerable efforts by both parties, the Netball New Zealand Board has concluded that an agreement to licence the privatisation of its elite domestic netball competition with Anna Mowbray and Ali Williams cannot be reached. Our communications with each other are confidential," the statement read."We recognise this news will be unsettling, particularly for players and support staff. We will communicate further as soon as we can."Over the last year the elite netball has lurched from fears for its survival to hope of a rescue - and now back into uncertainty. With the Mowbray-Williams plan off the table, questions remain over what alternative exists for 2027 - and whether New Zealand can retain a meaningful professional pathway for its leading players.Mowbray and Williams did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday morning. The New Zealand Netball Players' Association referred RNZ to Netball NZ.Originally pitched for 2028, the plan was accelerated to allow a minimum five-team competition to launch in 2027. The proposed league had been billed as a way to bring much-needed private investment into a competition Netball NZ could no longer afford to run in its existing form.Netball NZ board chair Alastair Carruthers revealed in July the national body 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.After weighing up its options, Netball NZ announced at the beginning of last month it had selected the Mowbray and Williams plan as its preferred option, signing a non-binding term sheet with the high-profile couple.Netball NZ boss Jennah Wootten at the announcement of plans for a new private league in September.RNZ / Nick MonroAt the announcement, incoming Netball NZ boss Jennah Wootten said the parties were working towards signing a long-form agreement covering franchise licences, the competition window, league format and commercial and broadcast arrangements.It was understood an ambitious deadline of early October had been set to iron out the details of the agreement. But that deadline passed without a further public update on the league, fuelling growing anxiety within the netball community about the competition's future.The collapse of the deal comes after a prolonged period of uncertainty that has already seen a significant number of leading New Zealand players sign contracts with clubs overseas.With players left in limbo while netball officials grappled with some big decisions facing the game, Netball NZ were forced to roll back its eligibility rules for the Silver Ferns, allowing players based overseas to still be eligible for the national team.The decision has seen Kiwi players flock overseas in unprecedented numbers, with 13 players taking up contracts in Australia's Suncorp Super Netball competition, including 10 of the 12 members of the Silver Ferns Commonwealth Games gold medal winning team.Several players like superstar shooter Grace Nweke (Sydney Sirens) and the Heffernan twins, Kate (Adelaide Thunderbirds) and Georgia (Sunshine Coast Lightning), have signed multi-year deals.A further five players have landed contracts in the UK. Others, like former Silver Fern and highly-regarded defender Kate Burley, have made the decision to retire.