NSW Swifts head coach Briony Akle has been named in the New Zealand Silver Ferns coaching team for the 2024 Netball Nations Series in England next month.
Akle, who has led the Swifts to three Suncorp Super Netball Grand Final appearances in five years and won Premierships in 2019 and 2021, will act as a specialist coach to New Zealand guru Noeline Taurua for the Series where the Kiwis will do battle against Australia, England and Uganda.
With NZ assistant Debbie Fuller unavailable for the trip north, Taurua reached out to Akle to fill in for the first International Tests of the year.
Akle, who is committed to the Swifts until the end of the 2026 Super Netball season, said she was humbled to be given the opportunity.
“When I got the call from Noeline it was pretty surreal because she is one of the game’s greatest ever coaches, but then I thought about what an amazing opportunity this is to learn from her,” she said.
“The Silver Ferns have always challenged Australia for global dominance and I know they are one of the proudest nations in the world when it comes to sport, and delivering on the global stage.
“In sport you have to keep learning and evolving and seeing what other coaches do, and I am really excited to see what I can learn from the Silver Ferns setup.
“Naturally I am also hoping that that they can learn from me and some of the coaching philosophies I’ve developed at the Swifts.
“Importantly, this does not change my commitment to the Swifts and I’ll be back with them as soon as the Nations Series concludes.
“I would like to put on the record how supportive the players and wider Club have been since I was offered this chance to go to England with NZ, they’ll be hoping I can bring back some new tricks to the Swifts camp.”
Swifts Executive General Manager Kath Tetley said this was once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Akle.
“At the Swifts we always aim to be world’s best and we are excited that Briony has this chance to widen her skillset on the Test stage.
“She has already demonstrated the influence she can have with the Australian Fast5 success last year and with Tonga at the Netball World Cup in South Africa.
“Briony is not just our Swifts head coach, she is a student of the game and it’s important we always ensure our staff have capacity to continue their growth and development.
“We cannot wait to watch her in action in January, and are even more excited for the learnings she’ll bring back to the Swifts ahead of season 2024.”
