The NSW Swifts regret to announce that the launch of the QBE Swifts Academy, which was scheduled to take place at the revamped Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday 21 March, has been cancelled.
With the spread of the Covid-19 across Sydney, it has been decided that the health and wellbeing of players, staff, stakeholders, members and supporters must take priority as the wider community deals with the impact of the current pandemic.
NSW Swifts Executive General Manager Nikki Horton said the cancelation was disappointing but that the club had a duty to the general public to ensure all measures to stem the spread of Covid-19 were taken.
“The NSW Swifts are one of the leaders in elite sport but we are nothing without the community that surrounds us,” she said.
“Sydney and NSW has done it tough of late, and this latest crisis has the potential to affect even more people, so anything we can do to help bring this situation to an end – sooner rather than later – is a no brainer for us.
“I know our players, coaches and staff were really looking forward to showcasing the new home of netball at Ken Rosewall Arena, but in time there will be plenty of opportunities to do this.
“I would like to thank our Academy Naming-Rights Partners QBE Insurance for their understanding in this matter, and our Members and stakeholders for their patience.”
The Super Netball Premiers were due to play a match against the up-and-coming stars of the QBE Swifts Academy, after the latter were presented their official uniforms for the 2020 Program.
The Swifts will advise if the Academy Launch can be rescheduled at a later date.