Manchester Thunder frustrated by England Netball cancelling Superleague

England Netball have been accused of "taking the easy option" and leaving clubs with a "huge financial liability" by cancelling the Superleague in a stinging attack by the reigning champions.

The governing body on Wednesday announced that voiding its top-flight domestic competition was “the most appropriate measure”, despite acknowledging the Government’s phase two guidance - released earlier this week - allowing athletes to resume close-contact training even without coronavirus testing measures in place.

Just three full rounds of the season had been completed when it was suspended on March 15 because of the virus and since that date Debbie Hallas, the managing Director of Manchester Thunder, has been involved in discussions with England Netball and its Superleague board and on how the competition could be resumed.

“For me, there were still so many options on the table,” Hallas told Telegraph Sport. “So many other sports have cancelled [their seasons]. If there’s an opportunity to broadcast [the Superleague] and gain more profile out of it, we were in a good position to do so.

“When we’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel now and the restrictions are gradually lifting, I just think it [the decision to cancel] was too soon. Obviously, what goes against us is the resources.

“We’re not like a Premier League football club that can afford to buy testing kits to test everybody. We don’t have our own grounds, we rely on public sport centres for training and public venues for our games. That’s what was against us.”

Concerns over the restarting the league had been growing given franchises' reliance on public venues for team training, which remain closed under the lockdown. Sports halls, community colleges and universities are some of the locations where Superleague clubs train, with many using additional venues for matches.

Hallas, however, has revealed reigning Superleague champions Manchester Thunder put forward a “whole and encompassing” contingency plan on how the season could be best restarted.

This included staging a shorter version of the season over three consecutive weekends across popular netball venues around the country, including London’s Copper Box, the Arena Birmingham and Manchester Arena.

Along with Manchester Thunder head coach, Karen Greig, they even consulted former England coach Tracey Neville - a close friend of the pair who previously managed the Mancunian outfit - for advice on how to factor in additional requirements of England players.

“I gave all kinds of scenarios, even one that involved a central venue,” said Hallam. “The initial plan on the table that would counteract players’ contracts finishing at the end of July and incorporating what would have been the Superleague Grand Final weekend [on July 4].

“We looked at all models and adaptations to try and avoid liability and keep a performance element in there, just to keep the integrity of our sport. You could have potentially finished off the league in a round robin format to then result in a Grand Final.”

England Netball were approached by Telegraph Sport but were unable to comment.

In a statement, however, Fran Connolly, the England Netball CEO, said it would not have been “logistically possible or sustainable” to resume the season and that it was right for players not to be kept “in limbo” any longer.

But Hallas believes cancelling the league could create huge financial implications for each of the competition’s ten franchises. Due to being an independent franchise - and not one backed by a university - Manchester Thunder are set to lose in the region of £100,000 to £200,000. Franchises need anywhere between £400,000 to £500,000 to operate for an entire Superleague season.

“Cancelling the league now has brought a bigger financial impact because now that it’s been taken out of our hands, we automatically have to refund tickets,” added Hallas. “England Netball have left us with a huge liability now by cancelling it. We’ve got to refund season ticket holders, sponsors and the money for future fixtures that won’t happen. I don’t understand why they [England Netball] were so happy to do it.

“It was easier for those for franchises who are backed by universities. It’s easier for them to absorb those losses, whereas we’re one of the standalone independent franchises. All of our revenue streams have been taken away, along with all the community work we do. We also average the best crowd in the Superleague, so we stand to lose the most.”

England Netball and the Superleague board are exploring the option of staging a standalone, shorter Superleague competition in the autumn, providing the public health situation continues to improve.

“I can’t see them having the autumn season,” concluded Hallas. “It wouldn’t even be a season, it would be an event more aligned to how a major competition would be - playing a World Cup scenario over a few weekends - in a neutral venue.”