Australian netball legend Liz Ellis has been appointed as to the board of Netball Australia.
On Monday the sport’s governing body announced Ellis had been made a director of the board she had been critical of in recent times.
Board Chair Wendy Archer said Ellis’ insights from her playing career would prove invaluable to the board as it focused on the future growth of the sport.
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“Like all members of the Board, Liz is passionate about netball, both on court and off and brings significant leadership skills as well as a breadth of knowledge gained from her post-career roles in broadcast and business,’’ Ms Archer said.
“We welcome her to the Board at this exciting time for our sport as the game continues to grow and we look forward to the 2027 Netball World Cup and the game’s 100th anniversary.’’
“I am deeply passionate about netball and I want to see it grow and thrive,’’ Ellis said.
“It’s time for me to give back to the sport that has given me so much.’’
Ellis played in the 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007 World Championships, winning netball’s showpiece event three times.
The legendary goal keeper also won two Commonwealth Games gold medals and four domestic netball championships with the Sydney Swifts.
Former NSW government minister Gabrielle Upton has also been appointed as a director for a three-year term.
Another ex-player Mo’onia Gerrard has been renewed as the nominated Athlete Director for another 12 months after she was first appointed in March last year.
Ellis has been critical of Netball Australia’s handling of several off court issues in recent years, including the Donnell Wallam-Hancock Prospecting sponsorship saga and the lengthy dispute over a new Collective Player Agreement.
Ellis also explained a miscommunication was the reason for her absence from last year’s end of season Australian Netball Awards, where the top gong is named in her honour.
She said her embarrassment at being unable to attend the event named in her honour quickly became anger after she heard that players had been issued legal threats to attend.
Diamonds contracted players were threatened with potential legal action on the day of the awards, saying they must attend the ceremony rather than stay home in solidarity with Suncorp netball players, who refused to go in protest amid an ongoing pay dispute that’s left them without income for months.
Ellis said the way the players had been treated revealed a damning truth about the direction of the sport.
“As a former Diamonds captain, I cannot believe that the governing body of the sport I love would treat its Diamonds athletes, who are brilliant role models and ambassadors for netball with such callous disregard,” she said at the time.”
“These are women who have not been paid in eight weeks. Who are fighting for fair pay and conditions not only for themselves but for the players who come after them.
“Who consider themselves as custodians of the game. And who I suspect would love nothing more than to attend an event where their world-beating heroics of the past twelve months were to be celebrated. Yet who felt so strongly about what they were fighting for, that they were prepared to forgo those celebrations.”
Ellis said, “yet again”, netball had found itself in the headlines “for the wrong reasons — another crisis entirely of the sport’s own making”.
“This has happened so often in recent times the question must be asked whether Netball Australia is capable of providing the leadership the sport so desperately needs,” she wrote.
“This question must be asked not just by players, or ex-players like me, but by the whole system.
“And it is a question which needs an immediate answer.”
Kelly Ryan stepped down as Netball Australia CEO in December. She was replaced by interim boss Stacey West.