Netball fans will be treated to a star-studded showdown when the Australian Diamonds take on the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) All-Stars in a bushfire relief charity match at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on Sunday 1 March.
Australian Diamonds head coach Lisa Alexander and SSN All-Stars co-coaches Briony Akle (NSW Swifts head coach) and Julie Fitzgerald (GIANTS Netball head coach) today unveiled their respective 14-strong teams that will be facing off to raise funds for netball communities across Australia affected by continuing bushfires.
Some of the world’s best netballers will take to the court with the Diamonds being led by veteran captain Caitlin Bassett and the SSN All-Stars featuring New Zealand superstar Laura Langman, England’s Geva Mentor, Jamaican shooting sensation Jhaniele Fowler and South African defender extraordinaire Karla Pretorius.
Lisa Alexander said she’s proud of how the world’s leading netballers have come together to help and support netball communities that have been impacted by the bushfires.
“This will truly be a spectacle for netball fans right across the globe. To have the world’s best netballers all taking to the one court in a game is going to be a sight to behold,” she said.
“I’m honoured to be part of this match and so proud of our elite netball program and netball in Australia in being able to pull this brilliant event together in such a short timeframe to support our communities who have been affected by these devastating fires.”
SSN All-Stars co-coach Briony Akle is excited to coach a team full of global superstars alongside coaching veteran Julie Fitzgerald.
“Julie and I are honoured to be appointed coaches of this world-class Suncorp Super Netball All-Stars team. This really is a once in a lifetime game and fans should be so excited to see some of the greatest players the sport has ever seen all in the one team,” she said.
“We hope that netball fans from Sydney and across Australia either attend or watch the game on Channel 9 so we can raise as much money as possible for those in need.”
Tickets for Australian Diamonds vs SSN All-Stars start from $10 and will go on sale at 12.00pm AEDT tomorrow, Thursday 30 January, via www.ticketek.com.au
The match will be broadcast live in all Australian states and territories on Channel 9 at 1.00pm AEDT and streamed live on the Netball Live Official App.
Umpires Michelle Phippard and Bronwen Adams have been selected for the match and will be donating their time and match payments to the cause.
Netball Australia would like to acknowledge the role Netball NSW, member organisations and Suncorp Super Netball clubs are playing in the delivery this event, and thank Qudos Bank Arena for hosting this match for bushfire relief.
All funds raised through Netball Australia’s initiatives will be donated to a Natural Disaster Relief Fund which has been established through the Confident Girls Foundation with the purpose of supporting netball-specific bushfire relief and recovery projects.
Netball Australia yesterday joined other major sports, through the Coalition of Major Professional and Participation Sports (COMPPS), in announcing a long-term recovery plan for the rebuild of sporting facilities in communities that have been affected by bushfires.
AUSTRALIAN DIAMONDS TEAM
Coach: Lisa Alexander
• Caitlin Bassett (captain) (GIANTS Netball)
• Liz Watson (vice-captain) (Melbourne Vixens)
• Kiera Austin (GIANTS Netball)
• Ash Brazill (Collingwood Magpies)
• Courtney Bruce (West Coast Fever)
• Paige Hadley (NSW Swifts)
• Sarah Klau (NSW Swifts)
• Tegan Philip (Melbourne Vixens)
• Jamie-Lee Price (GIANTS Netball)
• Laura Scherian (Sunshine Coast Lightning)
• Caitlin Thwaites (Melbourne Vixens)
• Gretel Tippett (Queensland Firebirds)
• Maddy Turner (NSW Swifts)
• Jo Weston (Melbourne Vixens)
*Thwaites selected to play with the Diamonds one last time
*Steph Wood was unavailable for selection due to injury
SUNCORP SUPER NETBALL ALL-STARS TEAM
Coaches: Briony Akle (NSW Swifts) and Julie Fitzgerald (GIANTS Netball)
• Jhaniele Fowler (West Coast Fever)
• Jo Harten (GIANTS Netball)
• Nat Haythornthwaite (NSW Swifts)
• Helen Housby (NSW Swifts)
• Laura Langman (Sunshine Coast Lightning)
• Emily Mannix (Melbourne Vixens)
• Kristiana Manu’a (GIANTS Netball)
• Geva Mentor (Collingwood Magpies)
• Kate Moloney (Melbourne Vixens)
• Chelsea Pitman (Adelaide Thunderbirds)
• Karla Pretorius (Sunshine Coast Lightning)
• Gabi Simpson (Queensland Firebirds)
• Shamera Sterling (Adelaide Thunderbirds)
• Sam Wallace (NSW Swifts)
*SSN All Stars captain to be named in coming weeks
**Ticket purchasers should note that final team selection is subject to change for reasons including player availability, fitness and team balance.
