Silver Fern Amelia Walmsley has warned players may be forced overseas or out of netball entirely as the ANZ Premiership's future remains uncertain following the conclusion of its season over the weekend.
For the third consecutive year, the six-team domestic competition has finished without broadcast arrangements secured beyond 2026. Netball New Zealand has offered no updates on the competition's structure or confirmed whether the league will run next year.
Walmsley said the competition itself was strong, with fast games and sold-out stadiums, but players faced financial challenges. "We train, we recover, eat, sleep, sacrifice like professional athletes because that's what it takes to compete at an elite level but the reality is is that we're not treated like professionals and we're definitely not paid like professionals," she said.
Walmsley said players received pay cuts last year and face further reductions if the competition continues. She said she could currently balance her Silver Ferns and ANZ Premiership income but has a mortgage and may need to consider offshore options sooner than planned.
Walmsley said she had intended to remain in New Zealand for another couple of years before pursuing overseas experience, but the current uncertainty might force an earlier move.
Silver Ferns and Stars player Mila Reuelu-Buchanan also spoke about the state of netball at her franchise's awards night recently, in remarks that circulated on social media.
Walmsley called for collective action: "We just need everyone's help, we need everyone's voices to be heard, we want to work with Netball New Zealand, we all want the same thing, and that's a future for this sport in New Zealand so we just need to rally together and do what we can to help make sure this sport doesn't die in this country."
Walmsley heads to the Commonwealth Games later this month, with the Netball World Cup on the calendar for next year. Netball New Zealand declined an interview request from RNZ.