Netball: Coach Tactix will step down at the end of the season

Tactix coach Marianne Delaney-Hoshek has announced that after seven years as head coach she will step down at the end of the ANZ Premiership netball season.

Having led the Tactix team through the most successful regular season in their history, Delaney-Hoshek said she felt ready to retire from an ANZ Premiership career that spanned more than 13 seasons, including assistant coaching roles with the Pulse and Tactix teams before taking up the role head coach position in 2017

“I feel like I’ve given my all to this role… now it’s time for me to step back and refresh,” Delaney-Hoshek said.

“I still have coaching goals, but most of all I’m very excited to spend more time with my family.”

The Tactix have been the league’s most formidable team this year, but Delaney-Hoshek knows there’s still a lot of work to be done before the finals series, with the Christchurch outfit desperate to secure an elusive home grand final.

Delaney-Hoshek said making the announcement now means the team can address the matter and move forward, and the franchise can begin the recruiting process as soon as possible.

“We don’t want it to be a distraction and everyone understands that we have hard work ahead of us.”

In her seven years as head coach, the team have appeared in three finals series, including reaching the grand final in 2020 and 2021, and are on track to qualify for the play-offs again this year.

Previously, for many years, Tactix only won one or two games per season.

“I feel like I’m leaving the club in a good place,” she said.

“I look at how far we’ve come and it’s huge. We dealt with Covid and got wiped out, but I feel like we went from strength to strength. It’s great to see us filling the stadium and for people to proudly wear Tactix colors and merchandise.

“In terms of performance, we have an incredible culture of high performance here and a desire to be better. “I think seeing the development of the players and staff involved is something we can all be proud of.”

Delaney-Hoshek is focusing on the remainder of Tactix’s league campaign. Tactix are currently at the top of the Premiership ladder and will face the Mystics in Christchurch on Sunday.

Tactix CEO Kate Agnew confirmed what Delaney-Hoshek brings to the position.

“She poured her heart and soul into this team and club, often under difficult and unforgiving circumstances,” Agnew said.

“Marianne has a special talent for creating and developing an incredible culture and high-performance environment, which has been fundamental to the on- and off-court success we have seen in recent seasons.”

Agnew said Tactix will begin the hiring process for a head coach immediately.