Recent events at Netball New Zealand demonstrate the influence administrators can have on a sport. In the case of Netball the influence has been bad; or perhaps even worse than bad; catastrophic could be more accurate. The Board made three decisions that were unbelievably destructive.

1. They appointed Janine Southby to the job of national Coach when Noelene Taurua was clearly a better choice.
2. They pulled New Zealand out of the best competitive netball league based in Australia.
3. They refused to allow players to gain experience by competing anywhere outside of New Zealand.

And inevitably the product of a poorly led, insular and uncompetitive environment was a fiasco. New Zealand netball failed to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games. The sport got what it deserved. The press and supporters demanded accountability. A review into the Commonwealth Games’ campaign was established and will report this month. There is little doubt that Janine Southby will be expected to fall on her sword. But if I were Noeline Taurua I would not go anywhere near the position unless the other administration errors were well and truly corrected first. But the last thing Taurua needs is advice from me. I’m picking she has a list of “before-I-accept-this-position” priorities well sorted out.

The reason the bad decisions made by Netball New Zealand have come under such close and strident attention is because netball is a New Zealand national sport, used to international success. When the sport fails it is a big deal. For eighteen years swimming has had a steady stream of netball “failure” but has escaped much of the attention focused on the disaster of netball.

Since 2000 swimming has participated in five Olympic Games. The table below shows New Zealand’s successes – none. Have you ever seen such a fine line-up of zeros? If that isn’t the perfect example of competitive failure I’d love to hear of a worse result.

It should come as no surprise to learn that the reasons for swimming’s poor performance are very similar to those that have afflicted netball – coaching, competition and isolation. For most of this period Jan Cameron was in charge and her policy of centralised preparation single-handedly brought the sport to its knees. Just look at the coaches Swimming New Zealand employed in a vain effort to keep Jan’s centralised program alive. Six coaches in eight years is quite an achievement. But that is the legacy Jan Cameron left us with and the Board of Swimming New Zealand chose to irresponsibly continue. Their negligence has been stunning; certainly worse than the Board of Netball New Zealand. But will swimming pay a price? Of course not.

But the twin sins of isolation and un-competitiveness fostered by Cameron’s toxic centralised policy were equally evil. They bear a strong resemblance in type and effect to the decision of netball to pull out of the Australian competition and to refuse to select New Zealanders playing overseas.

Jan Cameron’s policy approved by the Board of Swimming New Zealand tore the heart out of regional local coaches. For years the Swimming New Zealand website trumpeted the news that the “best” coaching available in New Zealand was only to be found at the Swimming New Zealand squad in Auckland. No one else was nearly as good. The effect of that message has been devastating and long term. It will not be repaired quickly. Do you remember the National Championships when Jan Cameron made Swimming New Zealand construct an elevated stage beside the pool for members of her centralised squad to sit on, away from and above the rest of New Zealand’s swimmers? They sat there like prize peacocks in free uniforms bought with our membership fees. It was as degrading as it was disgusting. And at the same time check again on their Olympic results – absolutely zero.

Stressing the superiority of Jan Cameron’s swim program reduced the competitiveness and diversity of the sport in New Zealand. For example interclub competition became a mockery. Many of the swimmers all trained in the same squad. The name of their cap meant nothing and the world knew it. New Zealand swimmers were also penalized by Jan Cameron’s policy for looking at Australia or the United States as options for continuing their careers. Financial advantages offered to swimmers who committed themselves to Jan Cameron were denied to those who wanted to study and train in the United States or Australia. Effectively, because of the centralised policy, fewer and fewer New Zealanders went to the United States. When my daughter Jane was on scholarship at Washington State I believe she was the lone New Zealander at a Division One school. The option that had nurtured Mosse, Kingsman, Stewart, Lincoln Hurring, Gary Hurring and Boyle had been strangled by Cameron’s policy. Isolationism in sport never works. And it hasn’t worked in New Zealand netball or swimming.

I am deeply puzzled by the decision of Moss Burmester, Helen Norfolk and others to offer very public adulation to the Jan Cameron program after she died. In earlier days they were among her biggest critics. Her death was a sad occasion but the damage of her policy was not somehow repaired by her passing. Oh, I understand the hypocrisy of Johns and Cotterill. There has never been any reason to expect any better from them. But Burmester and Norfolk should know better.

There are some Neanderthals in the Unites States who believe that country should stop offering swimming scholarships to foreign swimmers. The USA, they say, should become more isolationist. Immediately one of the real strengths of USA swimming would be lost. From high school age American swimmers are used to competing against the world for a free education. Take away that competition and of course the standard will fall.

The current Board of Swimming New Zealand was not around when Cameron was feeding the sport her centralised poison. The current Board has however been there for six or seven years and has done nothing to stop the malaise. Board members are as guilty of malicious damage to the sport as the founder of the policy and the current Board of Netball New Zealand is for the damage caused to that sport. As we have said before their negligence should bring their tenure to a timely end.