By Amelia Barnes
Since she first stepped on court with the Melbourne Phoenix 28 years ago, Sharelle McMahon has been a legend of Victorian netball.
A premiership player from her 1997 debut national season, McMahon played more than 200 national league games, collected six titles with the Phoenix and Vixens, and captained Australia before retiring as an athlete in 2013.
She soon entered the world of coaching, taking on specialist and assistant coaching positions at the Melbourne Vixens from 2014 to 2021, then assuming the role of head of female cricket at Cricket Victoria.
Now arguably the greatest netball player of all time has returned to the sport where she made her name as Netball Victoria’s general manager of high performance and pathways.
McMahon loved her years in cricket, which saw her working in a management capacity for the first time (she previously studied sports management at university), but she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to return to netball in this position.
“Roles like this don’t come up very often,” McMahon said. “Melbourne Vixens and Netball Victoria run in a really professional, high performing way and I wanted to be involved in the next evolution of netball.”
McMahon’s new job is focused on managing the state’s pathways to support netballers’ development and progression from grassroots through to the professional level.
“So as soon as someone's identified as a talented player, I work with my staff to set the right programs and the right structures to help support their development,” she explained.
The role encompasses performance outcomes for the Melbourne Vixens, as well as state teams, Talent Academy, and other Netball Victoria programs to ensure a seamless pathway for emerging talent.
McMahon also manages pathway development and creating opportunities for up-and-coming coaches, umpires, and bench officials who play a vital role in the sport.
“I think it’s really important to set the right culture and environment at the elite end – which for us is the Melbourne Vixens – but to start setting that right through the pathway is important so that we're really preparing anyone who's coming through those pathways for that next step,” she said.
As the popularity of netball rises – 2024 saw record Melbourne Vixens members and crowd numbers – McMahon said keeping young athletes engaged is more important than ever.
The 2024 Suncorp Super Netball competition was the most attended female domestic league in Australian sporting history, and states including Victoria and NSW saw grassroots participation at record levels.
“On that participation level we're going really well, and that helps the pathway because we've got a really great pool of talented players to pull from,” McMahon said.
“It's crucially important that we have those players coming through, but more importantly from our point of view, that when they do, that they're really well supported and having a great experience along the way.”
With several young athletes stepping into training partner roles at the Melbourne Vixens this year, the Victorian Netball League recently expanding, and the second year of the Super Netball Reserves competition soon kicking off, the future of Victorian netball is bright.
“They've got dreams and aspirations of taking their netball game further and it's really cool to be involved in helping them do that,” McMahon said.
As she embarks on this new chapter with Netball Victoria, McMahon is eager to make an impact, using her experience as a former player and coach to expand opportunities for all those involved in the sport.
“Someone in a role like mine has to have a really good relationship with the playing group to understand their challenges, and to understand their goals and aspirations,” she said.
“Something I do bring is that I've experienced the netball player pathway right from when I was playing at a club level or an association through to representing Australia…
“I think that perspective is helpful in this role as you're working through the right structures to put in place and what things to focus on.”
Already a netball icon, it’s hard to imagine a better person for the job.
