She’s led the NSW Swifts to two Premierships and three Grand Finals in five years, and now champion head coach Briony Akle has committed to the Club until the end of 2026.
A four-time Swifts Premiership winner - twice as a player (2001 & 2004) and twice as head coach (2019 & 2021) – Akle will lead the Club for the next three Suncorp Super Netball campaigns.
A decorated international coach too, Akle also led Australia to the Fast5 World Series title in New Zealand last year and will head to the 2023 Netball World Cup in Cape Town as part of Tonga’s coaching staff.
A product of the Netball NSW coaching pathway, the mother of four joined NSW in 2018; breaking the Club’s decade-long Premiership drought in 2019 before backing it up in 2021 to claim the Swifts’ seventh title since they were founded as the Sydney Swifts in 1997 (the Club rebranded as the NSW Swifts in 2008).
In 2023 Akle led NSW to the Super Netball Minor Premiership and only narrowly missed out on a third Premiership in five years after an extra-time Grand Final epic against the Adelaide Thunderbirds in Melbourne on Saturday night.
Akle said she was delighted to re-sign with a Club that has been part of her life for such a long time.
“It is a privilege to work with such an amazing group of athletes, fellow coaches and staff and I am delighted to commit to the Swifts for another three years,” she said.
“The past season has been an amazing journey with this Club and while we are still a little raw from just missing out on another title on Saturday night it will only fuel us going forward.
“I think this week we can look back and be grateful for the experience we have shared as a group before the hard work starts again, but we'll be ready for it.
“The Swifts hold a very special place in the NSW sporting landscape as pioneers and champions of women in sport for almost three decades, and being Premiership contenders every year is where this Club belongs.
“Each year the competition grows tougher but it is our job to and evolve that’s a challenge I cannot wait for. We are about to go into a very rigorous signing period so that will be our first task.
“This Club is in my blood and I would like to thank my family who have been so supportive of my time at the Swifts so far, and where we’ll go in the coming seasons.”
Kath Tetley, General Manager of the Swifts, added:
“Briony has proven herself to be not just one of the finest coaches in Australian netball, but one of the best in Australian sport,” she said.
“She has not just created a wonderful netball team, but a collective, inclusive team culture that doesn’t just exist within the playing and coaching group, but across the entire Club.
“Briony is a brilliant representative for netball as a game and demonstrates impeccable humility in victory and class and dignity when the result doesn’t go our way. That is a rare mix and we are exceptionally fortunate to have that in our head coach.
“Briony lives and breathes this Club and has brought the Swifts back to the pinnacle of elite netball. The Swifts have been contenders each year since she joined and we can think of no better person to lead us on the quest for Premiership No.8.”
Sallianne Faulkner, Chair of Netball NSW, said:
“Briony is the epitome of everything that makes elite netball in NSW one of the finest high-performance environments in world sport and it is fantastic to have her recommit to the Swifts.
“Not only does she combine the best local and international talent to deliver success, she also has a deep understanding of who the Swifts are and the huge role the Club has played in the promotion of women in NSW sport.
“I know that netball and sports fans all over the state will be very pleased by today’s news.”
