Mainland Tactix coach Marianne Delaney-Hoshek has announced she will step down at the end of the ANZ Premiership netball season after seven years as head coach.
Currently the Tactix are having their most successful regular season but, Delaney-Hoshek said she felt she was ready to retire her ANZ Premiership career which had spanned over 13 seasons.
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Her time coaching included as assistant coach at the Pulse and Tactix before taking on the head coach position in 2017.
"I feel like I have pretty much given everything to the role ... now it's time for me to step back and freshen up," she said.
"I've still got goals with my coaching but first and foremost I am really excited about spending more time with my family."
The Tactix have been the form team of the league this year but Delaney-Hoshek is aware there is still a job to be done with four rounds remaining ahead of the finals series.
The Christchurch-based side would desperately love to secure an elusive home grand final.
Delaney-Hoshek said making the announcement now meant the team could address it and move on and the franchise could start the recruitment process as soon as possible.
"We don't want this to be a distraction, and all understand we have some hard work ahead of us."
In the seven years she has been head coach, the team has made three finals series, including reaching grand finals in 2020 and 2021, and are the leading team in the current season.
Prior to this the Tactix had only won one or two games a season for a number of years.
"I feel I'm leaving the club in a good space," she said.
"I look at how far we've come, and it's been massive. We've navigated Covid and being liquidated, but I feel we've gone from strength to strength. It is so cool to see us filling up the stadium and for people to be proudly wearing the Tactix colours and merchandise," said Delaney-Hoshek.
The Tactix host the Northern Mystics in their next ANZ Premiership match on Sunday.