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Collingwood will withdraw from the Super Netball competition at the end of the season. The struggling Magpies conducted a review of their future viability before making the call to hand back their licence. Club boss Craig Kelly said they needed to make a decision to give players and staff clarity moving forward. "While the timing of an announcement like this is never ideal, or pleasant, it is important to provide our athletes, coaches and staff with clarity so they can plan for the future," Kelly said in a statement. "We will support athletes and staff on their transition over the coming months."  Kelly acknowledged the AFL giants could have done better with their Super Netball team but said the review showed the side was not "sustainable". He said the governing body's ongoing financial woes had contributed to the decision. "We acknowledge we could have run a better netball program at Collingwood," Kelly said. "As a club we are tasked with continuing to deliver growth across all areas of Collingwood and ultimately, the review, which analysed key aspects of the netball program and that of the governing body, determined that the program is not sustainable. "Throughout this process we met with Netball Australia and SSN on multiple occasions to explore potential solutions. "The challenges Netball Australia has experienced and continues to experience in terms of profitability combined with the current impasse in regard to finalising the TPA (Team Participation Agreement) and CPA (Collective Player Agreement), played a key role in our decision-making." The Magpies have made the finals three times since entering the competition in 2017, but have never progressed past the first week of the playoffs. They currently sit second from bottom of the ladder with a 2-8 record and their poor results have contributed to the club's financial struggles. Kelly said the club would continue to develop female athletes through the AFLW and VFLW programs. Netball Australia needs to maintain an eight-team competition under the current broadcast deal and are already in talks with potential new franchises with their preference for another team in Melbourne. NA said they were disappointed but not surprised by Collingwood's call. "In recent times it had become clear that Collingwood's priorities had shifted away from netball to focus on its core business of football," NA CEO Kelly Ryan said in a statement. "We are understanding of the impact Collingwood's decision has on its current players and staff, and we will support them during this time. "We are currently talking to interested parties and look forward to communicating the next steps as this process unfolds."
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