Results

Super Netball 06/17 09:00 - Collingwood Magpies v West Coast Fever 65-62
Super Netball 06/12 03:00 - Melbourne Vixens v Collingwood Magpies 64-55
Super Netball 06/03 07:00 - Collingwood Magpies v Adelaide Thunderbirds 53-50
Super Netball 05/27 07:00 - Sunshine Coast Lightning v Collingwood Magpies 66-62
Super Netball 05/21 04:00 - NSW Swifts v Collingwood Magpies 85-56
Super Netball 05/14 06:00 - Collingwood Magpies v GIANTS Netball 56-69
Super Netball 05/06 07:00 - Queensland Firebirds v Collingwood Magpies 73-67
Super Netball 04/30 06:00 - Adelaide Thunderbirds v Collingwood Magpies 52-47
Super Netball 04/25 03:00 - Collingwood Magpies v Sunshine Coast Lightning 50-65
Super Netball 04/15 07:00 - GIANTS Netball v Collingwood Magpies 59-55
Super Netball 04/09 04:00 - Collingwood Magpies v Queensland Firebirds 69-61
Super Netball 04/02 04:00 - West Coast Fever v Collingwood Magpies 80-53

The Collingwood Magpies were an Australian professional netball team in Melbourne that competed in the premier domestic league, Suncorp Super Netball. The team was founded in 2016, during the disbanding of the ANZ Championship. The Magpies were owned by the professional Australian Football League entity, the Collingwood Football Club. The team's home games were predominantly played at John Cain Arena. In May 2023, news reports disclosed that the team was in financial distress, and later that month the Collingwood Football Club announced it would withdraw its netball team at the conclusion of the 2023 season.

History

Following the dissolution of the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship competition in 2016, Netball Australia announced the creation of a new national netball league, which would feature the five original Australian teams and three additional teams. In May 2016, Netball Australia confirmed that the Collingwood Football Club was one of three preferred license holders for the new teams.

Collingwood Magpies Netball was launched in September 2016 at the headquarters of the Collingwood Football Club, the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre. The new team had a distinct logo, different from the football team, though a few years later the club elected to unify the logo with the football team. Speaking at the launch, club president Eddie McGuire stated, "This team is not an add on to our [football] program by any stretch. It has its own identity, its own high performance unit in its own right and our strategy is to get the best people and best players possible."

2017–20: Early years

The Magpies debuted in the 2017 Super Netball season. For the inaugural season, Madi Browne was appointed team captain under head coach Kristy Keppich-Birrell. The Magpies entered the league with a star-studded squad of former and existing Australia national team players, thanks mainly due to significant financial weight backing the team. Consequently, the Magpies were widely tipped by pundits to win the league. However, the team finished the regular season fourth (out of eight teams) on the ladder and lost their elimination final to Giants Netball by one goal. In the following season the Magpies struggled for wins and consistency. Prominent defender Sharni Layton announced her retirement and the club elected not to extend the contract of coach Kristy Keppich-Birrell, replacing her with former Swifts coach Rob Wright at the end of the season. Wright oversaw the signing of new players Kelsey Browne and Geva Mentor among others, and the Magpies returned to finals, though were defeated by local rivals the Vixens in the elimination final. The following year the Magpies won only one of their fourteen games in the COVID-19-impacted season. Co-captain Madi Browne departed from the club and Rob Wright's tenure as coach ended. Wright was replaced by former Diamond and Magpies assistant Nicole Richardson as the new head coach.

2023: Financial distress and notice of withdrawal

Facing just three finals appearances from seven years in the league, the club's performance both financially and on the court came under intense scrutiny during the month of May. Netball Australia promptly announced it would be negotiating with interested parties for the eighth licence for a 2024–26 window.

Collingwood CEO Craig Kelly said the financial difficulties faced by Netball Australia and the fact there is currently no collective player agreement and team participation agreement for the 2024 season were the reasons behind the withdrawal. The club played its final match on 17 June 2023 at the Silverdome in Launceston, upsetting the league's reigning premiers West Coast Fever by three goals in a game that doubled as the final domestic appearance for club stalwart Ashleigh Brazill.