New South Wales Swifts are an Australian professional netball team based in Sydney, New South Wales. Since 2017 they have represented Netball New South Wales in Super Netball. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Championship. The team was formed in 2007 when Netball New South Wales merged its two former Commonwealth Bank Trophy league teams, Sydney Swifts and Hunter Jaegers. In 2008, Swifts were the inaugural ANZ Championship winners. Swifts were also grand finalists in 2015 and 2016. They won their second and third premierships in 2019 and 2021. The Swifts play their home games at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney.
History ANZ Championship Between 2008 and 2016, Swifts played in the ANZ Championship. Swifts were formed in late 2007 when Netball New South Wales merged its two former Commonwealth Bank Trophy league teams, Sydney Swifts and Hunter Jaegers, in order to enter a single team in the 2008 ANZ Championship. During the 2008 regular season Swifts won 10 of their 13 matches and finished second behind Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic. With a team coached by Julie Fitzgerald and captained by Catherine Cox, Swifts subsequently defeated Magic in both the major semi–final and the grand final to become the inaugural ANZ Championship winners. Swifts went through the entire 2010 regular season home and away undefeated, winning 13 consecutive matches and finishing as minor premiers. They were the first team in the history of the ANZ Championship to do this. However they subsequently lost both the major semi-final and the preliminary final to Adelaide Thunderbirds and Magic respectively and finished the season in third place.
The 2011, 2012 and 2013 seasons proved to be a turbulent time for Swifts. After fifteen seasons as Sydney Swifts/New South Wales Swifts head coach, 2011 was the last season that Julie Fitzgerald served as head coach. Following a controversial "internal review", Fitzgerald was replaced as head coach by Lisa Beehag. The review was conducted during the 2011 season. Catherine Cox and Liz Ellis publicly criticized Netball New South Wales for distracting players with the review and even alleged that it was responsible for Swifts losing the 2011 minor semi-final. Beehag subsequently informed Cox that she would not be needed as a captain or player the following season. Cox subsequently departed for West Coast Fever. Other senior and emerging players including Rebecca Bulley, Courtney Tairi and Ashleigh Brazill also left. It was also alleged that the controversy led to some emerging New South Wales players, including Verity Simmons, Gabi Simpson and Kim Ravaillion, taking up contracts with rival teams. Under the leadership of Fitzgerald and Fox, New South Wales Swifts had been champions in 2008 and had reached the final series/play-offs in 2010 and 2011. Under Beehag's two-year reign, the team failed to make the finals. In 2013, the Swifts finished eighth. At the end of 2013 Beehag's contract was not renewed.
Beehag was subsequently replaced by Rob Wright. Wright guided Swifts to two successive grand finals in 2015 and 2016. However, on both occasions they lost out to Queensland Firebirds.
+ Regular season statistics Season Position Won Drawn Lost2nd1003 9th2011 1st1300 3rd9045th805 8th409 3rd904 2nd8323rd1021
Super Netball Since 2017, Swifts have played in Super Netball. In addition to Swifts, the new league featured a second Netball New South Wales team, Giants Netball. Two veteran members of the 2016 Swifts roster, Kimberlee Green and Susan Pettitt, subsequently switched to the Giants, who were coached by former Swifts head coach, Julie Fitzgerald. The 2018 season saw Rob Wright replaced by Briony Akle. In 2019, Akle guided Swifts to their second premiership when they won the Super Netball title. Despite losing their new captain, Maddy Proud, to injury early in the season, Swifts finished the regular season in second place. In the major semi-final, they lost to Sunshine Coast Lightning. However, they then defeated Melbourne Vixens in the preliminary final. In the grand final they faced Lightning again but time defeated them 64–47 to emerge as champions. In 2021 with a team coached by Briony Akle and co-captained by Maddy Proud and Paige Hadley, Swifts won their second Suncorp Super Netball title. In the grand final they defeated Giants Netball 63–59.
+ Regular season statistics Season Position Won Drawn Lost6th31106th617 2nd1013 4th8152nd9055th6081st1013 6th4010 2nd1004 5th509
Grand finals ANZ Championship Season Winners Score Runners up Venue2008New South Wales Swifts65–56Waikato Bay of Plenty MagicAcer Arena2015Queensland Firebirds57–56New South Wales SwiftsBrisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre2016Queensland Firebirds69–67New South Wales SwiftsBrisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
Super Netball Season Winners Score Runners up Venue2019New South Wales Swifts64–47Sunshine Coast LightningBrisbane Entertainment Centre2021New South Wales Swifts63–59Giants NetballNissan Arena2023Adelaide Thunderbirds60–59New South Wales SwiftsJohn Cain Arena
Home venues Since 2021, the Swifts play most home games at Ken Rosewall Arena, with occasional matches at Afterpay Arena. The club's administration and training base is shared with GIANTS Netball and Netball NSW at Netball Central in Sydney Olympic Park.
Between 2008 and 2019, Swifts played the majority of their home games at the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre. The club has also previously played home games at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre in Newcastle and the AIS Arena in Canberra.
Notable players 2026 squad
Internationals
Erin Bell April Brandley Rebecca Bulley Ashleigh Brazill Julie Corletto Catherine Cox Liz Ellis Sophie Garbin Mo'onia Gerrard Selina Gilsenan Kimberlee Green Paige Hadley Sarah Klau Sharni Layton Susan Pratley Maddy Proud Caitlin Thwaites Gretel Tippett Maddy Turner Stephanie Wood
Carla Dziwoki Sophie Garbin Maddy Proud Maddy Turner Vanessa Ware Amorette Wild
Jade Clarke Helen Housby Natalie Metcalf Sonia Mkoloma
Romelda Aiken-George
Kayla Johnson Laura Langman Grace Nweke Katrina Rore Courtney Tairi
Samantha Wallace
Captains YearsCatherine Cox2008–2011Kimberlee Green2012–2013 (co-captain)2014-2016 (sole captain)Mo'onia Gerrard2012–2013 (co-captain)Abbey McCulloch2017–2018Maddy Proud2019-2020 (sole captain)2021–2024 (co-captain)Paige Hadley2021–2025 (co-captain)Maddy Turner2025 (co-captain)2026-present (sole captain)
Club Award winners QBE Most Valued Player Season Winner2008Catherine Cox2009Catherine Cox (2)2010Rebecca Bulley2011Catherine Cox (3)2012Susan Pettitt2013 Kimberlee Green2014Kimberlee Green (2)2015Caitlin Thwaites2016Laura Langman 2017Maddy Proud2018Samantha Wallace 2019Samantha Wallace (2)2020Sarah Klau2021Samantha Wallace (3)2022Maddy Proud (2)2023Helen Housby2024Helen Housby (2)2025Grace Nweke2026Grace Whyte
Players' Player of the Year Season Player2008Emma Koster2009Kimberley Smith2010Kimberlee Green2011Kimberley Smith2012April Letton2013Sonia Mkoloma2014Sharni Layton2015Sharni Layton2016Amy Sommerville2017Claire O’Brien2018Abbey McCulloch2019Sophie Garbin/Maddy Turner2020Sophie Garbin2021Maddy Turner2022Maddy Proud2023Maddy Turner2024Maddy Turner2025Grace Nweke2026Tayla Fraser
Coaches' Award Season Player2013Paige Hadley2014Sarah Wall2015Susan Pettitt2016Paige Hadley & Stephanie Wood2017Maddy Turner2018Maddy Turner2019Paige Hadley2020Samantha Wallace & Paige Hadley2021Sarah Klau 2022Maddy Turner & Paige Hadley2023Maddy Turner & Sarah Klau2024Paige Hadley & Sarah Klau2025Sophie Fawns & Teigan O'Shannassy2026Maddy Proud
Members' Player of the Year Season Player2008Catherine Cox2009Susan Pratley2010Rebecca Bulley2011Kimberlee Green2012Kimberlee Green2013Kimberlee Green2014Kimberlee Green2015Sharni Layton2016Sharni Layton 2017Maddy Proud2018Sarah Klau2019Paige Hadley2020Paige Hadley 2021Sarah Klau 2022Maddy Proud2023Helen Housby2024Paige Hadley2025Paige Hadley2026Grace Whyte
Competition Award winners ANZ Championship MVP Season Player2014Kimberlee Green (joint winner) ANZ Championship Australian Player of the Year Season Player2008Catherine Cox2015Sharni Layton2016Sharni Layton ANZ Championship Grand Final / Finals Series MVP SeasonPlayer2008 (Grand Final MVP)Catherine Cox 2015 (Finals Series MVP)Sharni Layton Super Netball Grand Final MVP SeasonPlayer2019Samantha Wallace 2021Maddy Turner ANZ Championship All Star Team SeasonPlayerPosition2014Susan Pratley GA2014Kim GreenC2015Susan PettittGA2015Kim GreenWA2015Julie CorlettoGD2015Sharni LaytonGK2016Susan PettittGA2016Kim GreenWA2016Laura LangmanWD2016Sharni LaytonGK2016Robert WrightCoach Super Netball Team of the Year SeasonPlayerPosition2019Samantha Wallace Reserve2020Paige HadleyReserve2021Samantha WallaceReserve2022Maddy ProudC2023Helen HousbyGA2023Paige HadleyWA2025Paige HadleyC2025Teigan O'ShannassyGK2025Grace NwekeReserve
Head coaches Coach YearsJulie Fitzgerald2008–2011Lisa Beehag2012–2013Rob Wright2013–2017Briony Akle2017–2026Dylan Nexhip2027-present ANZ Championship Australian Coach of the Year SeasonCoach2008Julie Fitzgerald Joyce Brown Coach of the Year SeasonCoach2019Briony Akle2021Briony Akle
QBE Swifts Academy
The reserve team of the New South Wales Swifts is known as the QBE Swifts Academy, and previously played as the Netball New South Wales Waratahs. This team currently plays in the Super Netball Reserves competition, which began in 2024, after rebranding from the Australian Netball Championships and prior to that, the Australian Netball League. The team has won three premierships, the ANL in 2011, becoming the first team other than Victorian Fury to win the competition, the ANC in 2024, and SNR in 2026.
Premierships
ANZ Championship Winners: 2008 Runners Up: 2015, 2016 Minor Premiership: 2010 Super Netball Winners: 2019, 2021 Runners Up: 2023 Minor Premiership: 2023 Super Netball Reserves / Australian Netball Championships / Australian Netball League Winners: 2011, 2024, 2026 Runners Up: 2010, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2023
References
External links Official website Instagram TikTok