Southern Steel boss rules out franchise shift

New Southern Steel and Netball Southland chief executive David Bannister wants to make one thing perfectly clear – the franchise isn't moving its home base from Invercargill to Dunedin.

Last week, the Otago Daily Times reported the Queenslander as saying that from an outsider's perspective, Dunedin offered appeal and Steel might be better served by relocating there.

Yesterday, he told The Southland Times that his comments had been taken out of context and Southland netball fans had nothing to worry about.

"Most certainly not. If you look at the player base, five out of the 12 are Invercargill girls and our community, financial and corporate support [in Southland] is second to none. Ninety-five per cent of our membership is from there.

"I can't envisage any move."

Bannister is right on the money. Steel receive a considerable amount of funding from the Invercargill Licensing Trust and Community Trust of Southland and coupled with the fact that most season ticket-holders live in Invercargill, any move to Dunedin would have serious ramifications for the franchise.

Bannister acknowledged that Steel had to do a better job of raising more revenue from Otago and increasing their profile in the area. They had aimed to do that this season by having co-coach Janine Southby based in Dunedin and playing an extra home game and holding regular training sessions there this year.

Netball is experiencing interesting times in New Zealand, however, with the regional centres due to vote on a new zone model at the governing body's annual meeting next month.

If the proposed zone-based setup gains enough support, the present regional system would be replaced by five zones in New Zealand, each aligned with a trans-Tasman netball franchise.

The boards of Steel, Netball Southland and Netball Otago would be disbanded if the zone system was adopted and a new board created.

"Netball is in a very unique situation," Bannister said.

"It's the first time I can recall in any sport internationally where the grassroots component of the game will have a direct say over the structure, governance and look of the high-performance point of the game.

"I can't envisage any move, but it's wholly and solely down to our centres and where they believe is best [for Steel's home base]."

He said he saw merits in the zone system and had worked under similar governance models in Australia, but admitted it was too early to comment on fully.

Bannister started in his new role on Monday, replacing Julie Paterson, who is moving to Auckland to take on the job of Northern Mystics' chief executive.

The Australian has a likeable and easygoing personality, but he has a strong vision for the future of both Steel and Netball Southland, and is excited about where the game is heading in the deep south.

"It's a very professional setup. We're talking about the premier competition in the world for netball.

"It's an exciting time for us coming up. We're going through a transition phase at the moment. We've got two quite new coaches and eight of our 12 players come from the Steel region," he said.

Bannister, 40, has an extensive background in sports administration, having spent nine years with Queensland Cricket in management and development roles, before working with Queensland Rugby League for the past two years as an education and development manager.

He was coach of the Malaysian national cricket team in 2004. Malaysia just missed out on qualification for the World Cup, and Bannister said it was a fascinating time for him and his family.

"It was wonderful to paid to be involved in your passion. It is a unique opportunity when you can coach at the top end."

The Ascot Park Hotel-sponsored Steel face the challenge of having the smallest population and commercial base in the ANZ Championship, but being the underdogs appealed to Bannister.

He said the franchise needed to think outside the square and be smarter than its rivals to make up for the region's small size.

"It's the Southland trait, that you punch above your weight down here. It seems you have a lot in common with Queensland. We have a 25 per cent playing base in the NRL [rugby league competition], but we've won six [State of Origins] in a row."

Bannister will be joined in Invercargill by his wife, Kylie, and their three sons, Toby, 12, Maxim, 9, and Beau, 6, next week.

brendon.egan@stl.co.nz

- © Fairfax NZ News