The NSW Swifts would like to congratulate the Club’s Foundation Coach Julie Fitzgerald AM upon the announcement of her retirement after three decades of National League coaching.
A five-time Premiership champion of the Swifts as head coach, Fitzgerald’s contribution to the Club over her many years of service was huge.
A Swifts pioneer who later became a much-respected rival in her time as head coach of the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic andGiants Netball, Fitzgerald is today an icon of Australian netball for generations.
An ever-present figure in each edition of the National League which started in 1997 as the Commonwealth Bank Trophy (currently Suncorp Super Netball), Fitzgerald led the Swifts to five Premierships in her time at the helm.
Across the Commonwealth Bank Trophy era (1997-2007) she coached the then Sydney Swifts to titles in 2001, 2004, 2006 and 2007. When the Club rebranded as the NSW Swifts in 2008 for the dawn of the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship era (2008-2016), she won an unprecedented three-peat when the Swifts claimed another title.
She also coached the Swifts to the longest-ever win streak in National League history, a massive 18 consecutive wins across the 2006 and 2007 seasons, a feat yet to be beaten.
After a coaching spell with the Magic in New Zealand, Fitzgerald returned to Sydney to coach the newly-formed Giants after the ANZ Championship was replaced by Super Netball in 2017. She led the Giants to two Grand Finals, including the 2021 all-NSW decider which was won by the Swifts.
Current Swifts head coach Briony Akle, who won two titles under Fitzgerald as a player in 2001 and 2004, said the game was deeply indebted to her former mentor.
“Julie put the Swifts on the map and that’s something everyone should remember, especially those who are new to the Club and might not realise what she did here,” Akle said.
“We had great players like Liz Ellis, Cath Cox and Ali Broadbent but you needed a head coach to keep everyone gelling well together and Julz created an environment in which we thrived.
“Wherever Julie has gone she’s brought success and good culture. She took the Magic to Finals in her time across the Tasman and she also created a really strong foundation base at the Giants and took them to two Grand Finals in their short history.
“We train under our Premiership banners every day but five of the seven are Julie’s and I think that speaks volumes about what she did for us as a Swift and she will always be a treasured part of our history.”
Jeremy Butler, Executive General Manager of the Swifts, also paid tribute to Fitzgerald on her retirement.
“On behalf of the Club I would like to wish Julie all the very best for her head coach retirement and congratulate her on an amazing career, much of which was spent here at the Swifts.
“Julie has demonstrated immense knowledge, professionalism and goodwill throughout her time as a National League coach and the flood of tributes we see coming are a testament to this.
“Her place in Swifts history will always be one of our great chapters and we enjoyed the many battles when we met her again as a rival coach, especially in the recent Derbies against the Giants.