When you look at 2021 from the NSW Swifts’ point of view it would be easy to mark August 28 as the standout highlight. A seventh Premiership and a Grand Final win over local rivals the Giants in the club’s 25th season was certainly a proud day, but it was just one of numerous fantastic achievements the Swifts had to celebrate over the past 12 months.
People thought that the 2020 season was a tough one to navigate but it turned out to be a dress rehearsal for what lay ahead in 2021. And yet, despite all of the challenges - lockdowns, state relocations, isolation periods and home games being moved from Sydney to Melbourne, then to Adelaide and then Brisbane – the Swifts have never had a better connection with their loyal supporters.
Before the Suncorp Super Netball season started, there were significant wins already banked by the club. In 2021 the Swifts became the first professional netball club in the world to register more than 5,000 members, a landmark moment for not just Super Netball but women in Australian sport.
A huge part of this success can be attributed to the introduction of the Swifts Club Membership as part of the ‘Let Them See What They Can Be’ campaign. The discounted Membership was created specifically for NSW-based clubs and Associations with the goal of providing them an easy, cost-effective way to reward their participants and volunteers by taking them to see the Swifts at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney Olympic Park.
Over 60 clubs and/or Associations signed up for Swifts Club Memberships in 2021, a phenomenal result in its first year.
Of course, there was huge disappointment when the COVID-19 lockdown of Greater Sydney forced the Swifts to pack their bags and head interstate, but the momentum of 2021 was not been lost. As a result of the heroic commitment by Briony Akle’s players, support staff and wider club staff a whopping 31% of 2021 Members decided to pledge the monetary balance of games missed to the club.
On top of that over 50% decided to transfer lost games to 2022 with only 16% seeking refunds for games missed. It means, despite the significant financial impact of COVID-19, the Swifts are in a strong position as competition leaders not just on the court, but off it as well.
The Swifts’ High-Performance Unit, led by Akle, performed impeccably despite the once-in-a-generation challenges presented to them throughout the year.
If you are looking for role models in sport then look no further than the Swifts. Despite operating on a fraction of the budget of other codes, the Swifts moved their lives and left loved ones behind to make the 2021 season happen.
With NSW in lockdown, the Swifts were a ray of hope for the huge netball community across the state. They battled their way through adversity to setup an all-NSW Grand Final and won it in front of a TV audience of 770,000, and over six million across the season.
Despite the fact their ‘home’ Grand Final was in Brisbane, the Swifts were quick to dedicate the win to everyone in lockdown across Greater Sydney and Regional NSW.
As the leading female sports team in NSW, co-captain Maddy Proud highlighted the toughness and commitment of elite netballers when she played the entire Grand Final with a broken rib.
With a seventh Premiership success, the Swifts cemented their place as the most successful team in the history of the National Netball League (currently Super Netball), which started in 1997.
2021 also marked the club’s 25th year with the Swifts reintroducing their iconic yellow and blue dress for the first-ever heritage round, a concept the club will look to include from now on.
The team also supplied five players to the Australian Diamonds, two to England Roses and a captain to Trinidad & Tobago. In the pathways space, the QBE Swifts Academy had six athletes selected for the Australian 17U and 19/U sides, meaning the future is as bright as the present.
It was year of teamwork, reflection, community and success – the hallmarks of what’s become expected of the Swifts over the past quarter of a century.
2021 Roster: Tayla Fraser, Sophie Garbin, Paige Hadley (Co-Captain), Natalie Haythornthwaite, Helen Housby, Sarah Klau, Lauren Moore, Maddy Proud (Co-Captain), Maddy Turner, Sam Wallace.
2021 Training Partners: Emily Burgess, Olivia Coleman, Teigan O’Shannassy, Leilani Rohweder Kelly Singleton,
2021 Notable Moments:
- Swifts win a record seventh Premiership, their second of the Super Netball era.
- Sophie Garbin made her Australian Diamonds Debut in the Constellation Cup.
- Maddy Proud played her 100th elite game in Round 9 clash against West Coast Fever.
- Emily Burgess became Swift No.99 since club was founded as Sydney Swifts in 1997.
- To celebrate the Swifts' 25th Anniversary the club amalgamated the playing numbers of both eras (Yellow and Red) to create a new Club Number for each athlete.
- Reaching the 5,000-member milestone was a first for an elite netball club and stand-alone female sports club in Australia.
- Sophie Garbin, Paige Hadley, Sarah Klau, Maddy Proud and Maddy Turner were named in the 2021/22 Australian Diamonds Squad, while Natalie Haythornthwaite, Helen Housby and Sam Wallace were selected in their respective England and Trinidad & Tobago squads.
- Lauren Moore was selected in Netball Australia’s Development Squad for 2021/22.
- Six QBE Swifts Academy athletes were selected for Australian underage squads.
2021 Milestones:
- 25 years of Swifts since formation of Sydney Swifts in 1997.
- 100 Games – Maddy Proud (Round 9).
- Sam Wallace wins MVP Award for third time, equalling the record of Cath Cox.
Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Briony Akle
Assistant Coach: Bec Bulley
Team Operations Manager: Dani Mace
Physiotherapist: Vicki Locke
Strength & Conditioning: Daniel Johnson
Performance Analyst: Bjorn Maddern
Team Doctor: Dr Katherine Rae
Sports Psychologist: Karen Haddad
Administration Staff
Executive General Manager: Nikki Horton
Membership Manager: Faizal Mohammed
Senior Events Manager: Sarah Smith
Events Coordinator: Donna Bysouth
Communications Manager: Shane de Barra
Video & Digital Coordinator: Madeline Ibrahim
2021 Fixture and Results:
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Round
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Fixture (Home v Away)
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W-L-D
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1
|
Queensland Firebirds 66 NSW Swifts 69
|
1-0-0
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2
|
West Coast Fever 63 NSW Swifts 55
|
1-1-0
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3
|
NSW Swifts 55 Melbourne Vixens 43
|
2-1-0
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4
|
Sunshine Coast Lighting 58 NSW Swifts 54
|
2-2-0
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|
5
|
NSW Swifts 62 Collingwood Magpies 53
|
3-2-0
|
|
6
|
GIANTS 51 NSW Swifts 63
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4-2-0
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7
|
Adelaide Thunderbirds 58 NSW Swifts 53
|
4-3-0
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8
|
NSW Swifts 64 Queensland Firebirds 52
|
5-3-0
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|
9
|
NSW Swifts 66 West Coast Fever 65
|
6-3-0
|
|
10
|
Melbourne Vixens 48 NSW Swifts 62
|
7-3-0
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|
11
|
NSW Swifts 55 GIANTS Netball 59
|
7-4-0
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|
12
|
Collingwood Magpies 75 NSW Swifts 68
|
7-5-0
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|
13
|
NSW Swifts 58 Adelaide Thunderbirds 53
|
8-5-0
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14
|
NSW Swifts 69 Sunshine Coast Lightning 64
|
9-5-0
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|
SF
|
GIANTS Netball 61 NSW Swifts 62
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GF
|
NSW Swifts 63 GIANTS Netball 59
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