Wasps Netball administration: Rachel Dunn says club's collapse will 'take some time to process'
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Wasps won the Super League in 2017, their debut season, as well as the following year
England and now former Wasps netballer Rachel Dunn said "it will take some time" to process the news that the club have gone into administration.
The 39-year-old, who has 92 England caps, would have been going into her seventh season with Wasps in 2023.
"It feels quite brutal - finding out that it was the worst possible outcome, it's thrown us into a period of uncertainty," said Dunn.
Wasps won the Super League in back-to-back seasons in 2017 and 2018.
The Coventry-based side were established in 2017 in partnership with the Premiership Rugby team, who also went into administration on Monday.
The link between the two sports was thought of as a successful one, with fellow Super League sides Saracens Mavericks and Leeds Rhinos also partnering with their respective rugby teams.
Dunn said: "We are processing the information but we don't actually know what it means for us at the moment. This situation is unchartered territory in netball."
Much of the focus has been on Wasps rugby team but Dunn said there was "collective feeling of sadness" following the news.
"Wasps is one big family, it's a multi-sport and multi-dimension family. Everyone is supporting each other through this and rallying round together," she said.
Veteran shooter Dunn has played in every Super League season since its inception in 2005, joining Wasps when they were first established in 2017 and going on to become a fan-favourite for her spectacular shooting ability.
"Wasps are a big sports club with a proud history and they took on the netball franchise and it's been great for the community and great to have a Super League team in the West Midlands," she said.
"But we've gone from looking forward to being back with the team, and looking forward to getting going in pre-season, to this, and we don't know what it means for us at the moment."
'Holding on to glimmer of hope'
After winning the Super League in 2017 and 2018, Wasps lost out on the title to Manchester Thunder in 2019, and have been unable to recreate their early success since then.
But 2023 was tipped to be an exciting year with experienced New Zealand player Cat Tuivaiti joining the club as player-coach and some fresh signings entering the fray.
Wasps confirmed their squad for the 2023 season, along with the rest of the league, last week, with fixtures also announced for the new season.
"It's a weird scenario to be in because we have built an exciting squad and were really looking forward to getting back out on to court training together, prepping for the season next year," said Dunn.
"We were putting plans in place to start building up to the season and suddenly it's gone. You just think 'what's happening next?'"
Dunn said there is hope in the group that a resolution will be found as staff are working closely with England Netball and the Netball Players Association (NPA) to find a solution in the hope that the squad can still compete in next season's Super League.
"There's always hope - you have to live with a bit of hope. The ideal outcome would be that we play as a squad together in next season's Super League - we're holding on to that glimmer of hope that that still happens," she said.
Dunn has played for fellow Super League sides Team Bath and Surrey Storm but said that Wasps "feels like home" after seven years with the club.
"I'm used to the set-up, I've been here since the inception so it's a second family. You get used to playing somewhere, training and playing in the arena, and the thought that that could be it is taking a bit of time to process," she said.
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- Published10 July 2019
