Netball NSW today announces that Tain Drinkwater has resigned from her role as the organisation\u2019s Chief Executive Officer to take up a new opportunity with the National Rugby League (NRL).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Drinkwater joined Netball NSW in April last year and guided the organisation through the second COVID-19 lockdown of Greater Sydney and regional NSW, as well as the multiple relocations of the organisation\u2019s two professional franchises \u2013 the NSW Swifts and GIANTS Netball \u2013 for the 2021 Suncorp Super Netball Season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Newcastle native, who previously held Senior Executive roles with the Brisbane Broncos and in the Mining Industry, is set to become the NRL\u2019s new Head of Performance & Pathways for their men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams, and will finish up with Netball NSW at the end of March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Former Cricket NSW Chief Executive Andrew Jones will join Netball NSW as interim CEO until the completion of the 2022 Super Netball Season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Drinkwater said she was immensely grateful for the opportunity she\u2019d been given by Netball NSW and the wider netball community over the past year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFirst and foremost, I would like to thank the Netball NSW President and Board of Directors for the opportunity to work in this brilliant game which truly is one of the benchmarks in Australian sport when it comes to grassroots and high-performance pathways,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI would also like to thank my Executive Team and the Netball NSW staff across all areas for their efforts over the past 12 months which have been some of the toughest the game has known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDespite the challenges we have been able to deliver very strong registration numbers and an all-NSW Super Netball Grand Final, and I leave knowing that the game is in a very strong position which is a testament to the brilliant team we have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA special thank you too to the NSW netball community who showed how innovative and agile they are to keep the game thriving, despite the once-in-a-generation challenges thrown up by COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis was not an easy decision to make and it was one that I thought about long and hard about for a significant period of time, however, the opportunity offered by the NRL was one that I couldn\u2019t turn down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am now looking forward to working with the Board, Executive Team, staff and wider stakeholders to ensure the handover process is as seamless as possible as Netball NSW gears up for a massive year of elite and community netball.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Netball NSW President Louise Sullivan thanked Drinkwater for her significant contribution over the past year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhile we are very disappointed to lose Tain we understand her decision and would like to commend her on everything she has achieved since joining us,\u201d Sullivan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot only did Tain display admirable leadership when the game was plunged into lockdown again last year, she and her staff went above and beyond to ensure netball in NSW emerged from it in a very healthy position and we will always be very grateful for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe also had the unenviable position of overseeing the Swifts and GIANTS as they moved from state to state, often late at night, to keep the Super Netball Season alive. Ultimately it was all worth it with both teams contesting the Grand Final and that is something Tain should be very proud of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe saw in Tain a very capable and emerging female leader and it is a credit to her achievements that the most powerful code in the state has offered her this brilliant opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOn behalf of the Board of Directors, and all of Netball NSW, I would like to wish Tain the best in her next venture and look forward to seeing her courtside as a fan in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sullivan also welcomed Jones to Netball NSW in the role of Interim CEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAndrew has a fine record in sports administration, including as a former CEO of Cricket NSW, so our game is in safe hands for the months ahead,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLike netball, cricket has a vast grassroots community across the State, vital pathways to the elite level, and multiple teams competing in national competitions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAndrew understands the challenges and opportunities of having two professional clubs under the one organisation via the Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAndrew was also a key driver of the professionalisation of women\u2019s domestic cricket and the formation of the Women\u2019s Big Bash League so has a strong record when it comes to women in sport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Netball NSW will shortly begin the recruitment process for a new CEO and more information will be released in due course.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Netball NSW today announces that Tain Drinkwater has resigned from her role as the organisation\u2019s Chief Executive Officer to take up a new opportunity with the National Rugby League (NRL). Drinkwater joined Netball NSW in April last year and guided the organisation through the second COVID-19 lockdown of Greater Sydney and regional NSW, as well … Continue reading “Drinkwater resigns as CEO, Jones named in interim\u00a0“<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nswnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15224"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15224\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15225,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15224\/revisions\/15225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}