The West Australian Netball League, also known as the WA Netball League, is a state netball league with teams from Western Australia and organised by Netball Western Australia. It is a third-level league at the national level, below Suncorp Super Netball and the Super Netball Reserves.
The league, originally known as the Gold Netball League, has undergone several other name changes; during the late 2000s and early 2010s, it was known as the Smarter than Smoking Netball League. The league was renamed the West Australian Netball League in 2015; four years later, it became the Gold Industry Group WANL. The league's most successful team overall has been the Southside Demons. During the 2010s, its most successful team was the West Coast Warriors.
History
Early years The league began in 1989 as the Gold Netball League, with one division. A reserves division was added the following year, and an under-18 division in 2000. The first-season champions were the Coastal Raiders. The Perth Superdrome Bullets were the dominant team during the early 1990s, winning four consecutive titles from 1991 to 1994 and a fifth title in 1996.
Southside Demons The WANL's most successful team has been the Demons. Founded in 1989 and originally based in Kenwick, the Demons have played under several names. They won their first senior premiership in 1997 as KAE Sparks and their second in 2004 as the Southside Sparks. In 2004, they were the first WANL team to win all three divisions. Two years later, after forming a partnership with Perth Football Club, they became the South East Demons. From 2007 to 2010, as the Midland Brick Demons, they won four consecutive senior premierships. As the South East Demons, they won a seventh and eighth premiership in 2013 and 2014. In 2018, they became the Southside Demons. Notable Demons players included Australia internationals Caitlin Bassett and Courtney Bruce, and Jill McIntosh Medal winner Lindal Rohde.
West Coast Warriors During the 2010s, the most successful WANL team was the West Coast Warriors. Like the Demons, the Warriors have played under several names. They originally played as the West Coast Warriors before becoming the Wanneroo Warriors, the Compact Warriors, the West Coast Falcons and, in 2014, again the West Coast Warriors. The team won their first senior premiership in 1998. Coached by England international Ama Agbeze and featuring Alicia Janz, they won their second premiership in 2012 as the West Coast Falcons. The team won additional premierships in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021. Other notable Warriors players include three-time Jill McIntosh Medal winner Caitlyn Brown, two-time Jill McIntosh Medal winner and Australian Diamond #189 Donnell Wallam, and two-time Jill McIntosh Medal winner Andrea Gilmore.
Men's division From 2001 to 2004, the West Australian Netball League had a men's division. The Bullets were the inaugural premiers, and the Coastals won the other three titles. The men's division was revived in 2018 with four teams: the West Coast Warriors, the Perth Lions, the South East Demons and the Wheatbelt Flames. The Warriors won the first two titles before the Lions won four in a row. The Rangers fielded a men's side in 2024, and the Peel Lightning followed suit two years later.
Revamped competition Netball WA announced a revamped competition in 2019, initially with seven clubs (Comets, Rangers, Demons, Jets, Warriors and Roar); Peel Lightning joined for the 2020 season. Now known as GIG WANL and sponsored by the Gold Industry Group, the new format included open, 20U and men's divisions. Most games were played at the Gold Netball Centre, rather than at local-club venues. Jets and Lightning have three home games per season in Eaton and Mandurah, respectively. The 20U division was reworked to 21U for the 2024 season.
Western Roar has been the dominant club in the GIG WANL, winning two open premierships, five 20U/21U premierships and five men's premierships, including four in a row from 2022 to 2025. West Coast Warriors have won the most open premierships (three).
Clubs The 2026 season features the following eight clubs. The divisions in which they compete in are in green. +ClubsTeamVenueAffiliated club/associationRegionFoundedOpen21UMenCometsGold Netball CentreHamersley NCNoranda NAPerth2019Fremantle SharksGold Netball CentreFremantle NAPerth2019Peel LightningGold Netball CentreMandurah Aquatic and Recreation CentrePeel FNLPeel2019RangersGold Netball CentreMundaring ArenaKalamunda Districts NAPerth1988Southside DemonsGold Netball CentreLangford Indoor Sports CentreSouthern Districts NAPerth1989Souwest JetsGold Netball CentreEaton Recreation CentreSouth West FNLSouth West1989West Coast WarriorsGold Netball CentreWanneroo Districts NAPerth1989Western RoarGold Netball CentreNonePerth2019 Notes Southside Demons previously played as KAE Sparks, Southside Sparks, Midland Brick Demons and South East Demons. West Coast Warriors previously played as Wanneroo Warriors, Compact Warriors, West Coast Falcons.
Grand finals League/OpenReserves18UMen Season Winners Score Runners-up WinnersWinnersWinners Venue1989Coastal Raiders not contestednot contestednot contested1990Stirling Saints (Stirling) KAE Sparks1991Perth Superdrome Bullets Raiders1992Perth Superdrome Bullets KAE Sparks1993Perth Superdrome Bullets Perth Superdrome Bullets1994Perth Superdrome Bullets not contested1995Coastal Pumas South West1996Superdrome Bullets Coastal Pumas1997KAE Sparks West Coast Warriors1998West Coast Warriors KAE Sparks1999WAIS Superdrome Bullets2000Coastal Sharks Southside SparksSuperdrome Bullets2001Wheatbelt Flames Southside SparksSouthside SparksSuperdrome Bullets2002Wheatbelt Flames Southside SparksSouthside SparksCoastal Sharks2003Four n Twenty Rangers Superdrome BulletsSouthside SparksCoastal Sharks2004Southside Sparks Southside SparksSouthside SparksCoastal Sharks2005Rangers Southside SparksMidwest Tigersnot contested2006Rangers Coastal SharksCoastal Sharks2007Midland Brick Demons RangersMidland Brick Demons2008Midland Brick Demons55–50West Coast FalconsWheatbelt FlamesSouwest Jets2009Midland Brick Demons59–50West Coast FalconsSouwest JetsWest Coast Falcons2010Midland Brick Demons59–50West Coast FalconsSouwest JetsCoastal Sharks2011Coastal Sharks56–55Midland Brick Demons West Coast FalconsMidwest Tigers2012West Coast Falcons52–43Midland Brick DemonsCoastal SharksRangers2013South East Demons62–38Perth LionsCoastal SharksCoastal Sharks2014South East Demons56–46Perth LionsCoastal SharksCoastal Sharks2015Perth Lions49–44West Coast WarriorsCoastal SharksSouwest Jets2016West Coast Warriors52–48South East DemonsCoastal SharksPerth LionsCurtin Stadium2017West Coast Warriors47–43Coastal SharksCoastal SharksPerth LionsState Netball Centre2018Coastal Sharks 50-47Perth LionsCoastal SharksPerth LionsWest Coast WarriorsState Netball Centre +League/Open20U/21UMenSeasonWinnersScoreRunners-upWinnersScoreRunners-upWinnersScoreRunners-upVenue2019West Coast Warriors74–65Western RoarWestern Roar50-45West Coast WarriorsWest Coast Warriors47-46Western RoarGold Netball Centre2020West Coast Warriors68-51Curtin Hamersley CometsWestern Roar54-36East Freo SharksWestern Roar48-33West Coast WarriorsGold Netball Centre2021West Coast Warriors46-41Western RoarRangers55-35East Freo SharksWest Coast Warriors48-45Western RoarGold Netball Centre2022Western Roar58-40West Coast WarriorsWestern Roar60-51Peel LightningWestern Roar61-45Curtin Hamersley CometsGold Netball Centre2023Hamersley Comets52-48Western RoarHamersley Comets60-49Southside DemonsWestern Roar56-53West Coast WarriorsGold Netball Centre2024Western Roar46-45Hamersley CometsWestern Roar49-42Southside DemonsWestern Roar58-34Hamersley CometsGold Netball Centre2025Comets54-43Western RoarWestern Roar59-40West Coast WarriorsWestern Roar56-43West Coast WarriorsGold Netball Centre
Notable players
Internationals
Diamonds Sunday Aryang Caitlin Bassett Kate Beveridge Kelsey Browne Courtney Bruce Susan Fuhrmann Sophie Garbin Donnell WallamKelpies Stewart Burton Daniel Cools Jerome Gillbard Dravyn Lee-Tauroa Dylan McPherson
Ama Agbeze
Mwai Kumwenda
West Coast Fever
Ama Agbeze Jessica Anstiss Ruth Aryang Sunday Aryang Caitlin Bassett Emma Beckett Kirby Bentley Kate Beveridge Caitlyn Brown Kelsey Browne Courtney Bruce Ingrid Colyer Emma Cosh Jordan Cransberg Zoe Cransberg Susan Fuhrmann Andrea Gilmore Alicia Janz Josie Janz-Dawson Mwai Kumwenda Annika Lee-Jones Olivia Lewis Tasha Nykyforak Lindal Rohde
Jill McIntosh Medal The Jill McIntosh Medal is awarded annually to the WANL's Best and fairest player. Between 1989 and 1990, it was called the Classique Player of the Series and between 1991 and 1993, it was known as the Berri Medal. Season Winner Team1989Jodie McGowanStirling Saints1990Peta SimeonSparks1991Jenny JonesFlames1992Sharon JarrottPerth Superdrome Bullets1993Chelsey MardonCoastal Pumas1994Peta Simeon (2)Sparks1995Waveney SeniorCoastal Pumas1996Leith FraddSuperdrome Bullets1997Angela Lloyd-WoodsJets1998Nardine ClarkeFlames1999Paula FergusonWest Coast Warriors2000Michelle AtwellWest Coast Warriors2001Amanda SantaromitaBullets2002Fiona MitchellWAIS-Coastals2003Susan FuhrmannJets2004Cath DevittCoastals2005Cath Devitt (2)Coastals2006Kyra NealDemons2007Kym HunterPerth Bullets2008Emma BeckettSharks2009Mia WashbourneWAIS2010Kodie BlayMidland Brick Demons2011Sally JoynesSharks2012Ama AgbezeWest Coast Falcons2013Rochelle McKeePerth Lions2014Ashleigh NealSouth East Demons2015Andrea GilmoreWest Coast Falcons2016Lindal RohdeSouth East Demons2017Andrea Gilmore (2)West Coast Warriors2018Olivia LewisCoastal Sharks2019Donnell WallamWest Coast Warriors2020Donnell Wallam (2)West Coast Warriors2021Ruth AryangECU Souwest Jets2022Caitlyn BrownWest Coast Warriors2023Georgia PittRangers2024Caitlyn Brown (2)Western Roar2025Caitlyn Brown (3)Western Roar
Sponsorship
–2016: Smarter than Smoking 2019–present: Gold Industry Group
References