The NSW Swifts are proud to announce the QBE Swifts Academy team for the 2021 Australian Netball Championships (ANC) in Victoria this September.
The Championships, which replace the Australian Netball League (ANL), are an opportunity for the feeder teams to Suncorp Super Netball's eight clubs, as well as some State and Territories, to showcase their talent.
The new-look ANC will welcome a record 10 teams to Traralgon’s Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium from September 13-19.
This marks the most teams to compete in the competition with the ANL previously hosting eight teams.
All state and territory-based member organisations and the eight Super Netball clubs were given the opportunity to submit a team.
Founded in late 2019 and backed by Netball NSW and the Swifts' Principal Partner QBE Insurance, the Swifts Academy provides a daily training environment for home-grown athletes who have the potential to play for the club in the future.
The Academy replaces the Swifts' former feeder team, the Netball NSW Waratahs, which previously contested the ANL.
Nikki Horton, Executive General Manager of the NSW Swifts, congratulated each of the athletes selected.
"This is a very proud moment for these players who are among the finest talent NSW has to offer," she said.
"The QBE Swifts Academy has really started to bear fruit for the Swifts via our High Performance department and we are seeing players come in to the Super Netball environment and hit the ground running.
"We have a top-class coaching team in Lenore Blades, Jen Wright and former Swifts captain Abbey McCulloch who know what makes great netballers.
"The COVID-19 lockdown in Sydney is obviously affecting their training schedule, but they are making the best of it with remote sessions and are very eager to make the trip to Victoria after last year's cancellation of the Australian Netball League.
"I would like to thank both Netball NSW and QBE Insurance for their support of the Academy, which has been immense."
QBE Swifts Academy Team
- Georgia Marshall (GS - Manly Warringah Sapphires/Manly Warringah)
- Kelly Singleton (GS/GA - Manly Warringah Sapphires/Manly Warringah)
- Sophie Fawns (GA/GS - Panthers/Wagga Wagga)
- Laura Towell (GS/GA - Sutherland Stingrays/Sutherland Shire)
- Lili Gorman-Brown (WA/C - Sutherland Stingrays/Sutherland Shire)
- Audrey Little (WA/C - Manly Warringah Sapphires/Manly Warringah)
- Courtney Castle (C/WA - GWS Fury/Blacktown City)
- Chelsea Mann (WD/C - GWS Fury/Manly Warringah)
- Emily Burgess (GD/WD - ERNA Hawks/Eastwood Ryde)
- Brooke Paterson (GD/WD - UTS Randwick Sparks/Randwick)
- Dakota Thomas (GD/WD - Central Coast Heart/Newcastle)
- Teigan O'Shannassy (GK/GD - Manly Warringah Sapphires/Manly Warringah)
