Netball Australia has announced the appointment of Jane Searle and Jane Woodlands-Thompson as Head Coach and Assistant Coach, respectively, of the Australian Fast5 Team for the Fast5 Netball World Series in New Zealand in November.
The appointment of a separate coaching staff for the annual Netball World Series, which features modified rules, is a first for Australian netball with previous Fast5 teams led by the national coach (Norma Plummer 2009-10, Lisa Alexander 2011-12).
“The modified tournament is an innovative version of netball so we’re rethinking how we approach the competition and want to create some differential between the Australian Diamonds and Australian Fast5 teams,” Netball Australia’s Head of High Performance Carol Byers said.
“Previously we’ve used the competition as an opportunity to provide international experience to our younger players but now we’ll be looking to select a team that suits the tournament and its modified rules as we look to achieve the performance outcomes we have set which is the win the Fast5 Netball World Series.”
The pair bring a wealth of experience to Australia’s World Netball Series campaign with Searle and Woodland-Thompson boasting international, ANZ Championship and player development experience through a range of coaching roles.
Searle, who has 15 international Test appearances to her name between 1982-85, spent a decade as Head Coach at the Victorian Institute of Sport and has also been Australian assistant coach (2003-2006), South African coach (2003) and head coach of the West Coast Fever for the first three seasons of the ANZ Championship (2008-2010).
ANZ Championship premiership coach Jane Woodlands-Thompson has led the Adelaide Thunderbirds since the League’s inception in 2008, including to the 2010 championship, and has also held the roles of Australian assistant coach (2008) and Australian Sports Commission Scholarship Coach (2007-08).
Australian Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander, who remains on the selection panel, has confirmed that Diamonds are not off limits for the Fast5 series however will work closely with the two Janes to monitor athlete load with the ultimate aim of winning Commonwealth Games gold medal.
“While the preparation of our athletes for next year’s Commonwealth Games remains paramount, the High Performance unit will work closely together to ensure that all athletes remain available for Fast5 team selection while carefully managing workload,” Alexander said.
Australia has never finished better than third at a Netball World Series tournament, claiming the bronze in 2009 and 2011, along with a fourth place finish in 2010 and a sixth place finish in 2012.
The 2013 Fast5 Netball World Series will be held at Vector Arena, Auckland from 8-10 November 2013.
