South Coast Blaze announces inaugural teams & sponsors

South Coast Blaze is pleased to announce our inaugural Opens and Under 23s teams, and two Official Major Sponsors, Franchise Partner – Cleary Bros, and Major Partner – University of Wollongong, for the 2020 season.

The South Coast Blaze Opens and Under 23s teams will travel to Netball Central in Sydney Olympic Park each week to compete in the Netball NSW Premier League, the pinnacle netball competition in the state. Both teams will compete against nine other franchises, with the season starting in late April.

South Coast Blaze Chairperson Karina Franke said that this announcement is an extremely important milestone for elite netball in the South Coast region.

“The South Coast Blaze provides a pathway to elite netball never before seen on the South Coast. Before now, talented athletes were required to commute or move to Sydney to pursue netball at an elite level, meaning we lost the sporting talent locally and thus affecting the quality of our local clubs and competitions. We are so excited to be able to work with and showcase all of these amazing athletes in our inaugural year. I congratulate all of the players that have been selected. I know that you will do the South Coast Blaze proud,” said Franke. 

“I am also extremely grateful to welcome Cleary Bros and University of Wollongong as our major sponsors and applaud them for supporting female sport on the South Coast. South Coast Blaze wouldn’t be here without the support of our sponsors and we intend to return the support in every way possible.”

Cleary Bros CEO Steve Rogers is looking forward to being on board for two years as the Franchise Partner.

“Cleary Bros is a family owned business that has had a significant presence in the Illawarra and South Coast regions for over 100 years. We are proud to maintain our family values-based culture, and have always had a strong commitment to giving back to our local community. As a progressive business in a traditionally male-dominated industry, diversity and inclusion are at the forefront of our workplace so we are also passionate about helping the growth and recognition of women’s sport, particularly in regional areas. We believe in supporting grassroots sport and providing opportunities for great athletes to succeed through elite pathways, in this case for our talented women and girls, so for us, partnering with South Coast Blaze was the perfect fit,” said Rogers.

University of Wollongong has joined for the 2020 season as the Major Partner.

Dr Melissa Thompson, Senior Manager of Advancement Services & Community Engagement at the University of Wollongong said: “With a community-centred approach and a dedication to excellence, the values of South Coast Blaze are strongly aligned with the University of Wollongong. UOW is very proud to support South Coast Blaze and values the role that sport plays on our campuses and in the development of healthy and resilient communities.”

South Coast Blaze is also excited to announce its new Corporate Partners for 2020 including, BaiMed (providing strength and conditioning, and physiotherapy), Peoplecare (providing health cover options for players and staff), Net Fusion Technology (providing web services), Heard McEwan Legal and KPMG Wollongong.

Corporate Partner and Platinum Partner sponsorships with the South Coast Blaze are still available for local businesses that are interested in reaching over 4,500 local players.

The players that have been successfully selected in the South Coast Blaze Opens and Under 23s teams are:

Opens

Katelyn BEGLEY

Brittany BERRY

Chelsea BOLTON

Te-Arn BRADLEY

Kristina BRICE

Annalise CHADRAWY

Kristen CHADRAWY

Laura DAVENPORT

Taylah DAVIES

Tayla FRASER

Shelby MALLON

Abbey MCFADDEN

Elecia PARROTT

Peti TALANOA

Chaise VASSALLO

U23s

Abbey BAKER

Jessica BOWDEN

Chloe BURDEN

Selene CHADRAWY

Emily DUNN

Mia EVANS

Sophie FAWNS

Clare MCCROHON

Bilyana MILEVSKI

Lauryn NETO

Ky-Mani SCHWENKE

Ashleigh SELWYN

Kiah YEALLAND

South Coast Blaze would also like to congratulate the selected training partners, who will provide support to the main registered team, attend training sessions to develop their skills, and can also be named as replacement players if necessary.

Opens Training Partners

Emily ROBINSON

U23s Training Partners

Sharnee BEHR

Emma KEANE

Grace KOROVATA

Aimee LANDRIGAN

Claudia McGOLDRICK

Kate MEURANT

Aishah MUHAMMED

Stephanie MUIRHEAD

Georgia ROSS

Olivia SMITH