FORMER England Roses head coach Tracey Neville MBE will lead the Suncorp Super Netball’s (SSN) eighth side next season, with the highly decorated mentor appointed today following a “rigorous process” from the Sports Entertainment Network (SEN).

Last month, Netball Australia announced that SEN would take over the licence of Australia’s eighth elite level team in the wake of Collingwood Magpies withdrawing its licence at the conclusion of the 2023 SSN season.

Neville is one of the most decorated coaches in the world, having represented the Roses both on and off the court. Her on-court career started as a teenager, and by 22 years-old, she was already playing in the ANZ Championship. She went on to represent a host of sides, including the Roses 81 times on the international stage.

Retiring in 2008, she began her coaching career with Team Northumbria in 2011, and moved to Manchester Thunder the following season, where she won two Netball Superleague titles in 2012 and 2014. From there, she was appointed the Roses head coach initially as an interim coach, but a bronze medal at the 2015 Netball World Cup and a gold medal in the European Netball Championship saw her appointed full-time.

Since then, she has won a second European Netball Championship in 2017, and then the 2018 Commonwealth Games, with the previous Netball World Cup in 2019 being her last tournament. Neville opted to retire as head coach to focus on starting a family, but has remained a key figure in netball since.

In 2023, Neville was an assistant coach of the Adelaide Thunderbirds who went on to win the SSN title. Regaining her passion for netball coaching, the English legend will take the head coach reins for the first time since 2019 when the eighth SSN team runs out next year.

SEN – CEO of Teams, Richard Simkiss, said he was ecstatic to have such an experienced and respected coach appointed for the new franchise.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Tracey as the inaugural coach of the newest Suncorp Super Netball team. We are determined that the team will be a genuine contender from the beginning, and we couldn’t be more confident that we have found the best person to help us achieve that.”

“Tracey’s outstanding experience and determined attitude to build this team from the ground up really stood out, and we think it is a great fit to put a strong stamp on our new team from the outset; to be a destination club with such an exciting journey ahead.”

Neville said she was looking forward to continuing her coaching in Australia, with the club entering the competition was “unexpected” but at the “right time”.

“I’m delighted to be accepting this role and the next challenge in my coaching career,” she said. “After winning the Grand Final with the Adelaide Thunderbirds last year there was no doubt that Australia was where I wanted to be and continue my coaching.

“The opportunity to put myself forward for this role came unexpectedly but at the right time. There was no doubt as I went through the interview process the shared vision, mission and values of this company confirmed that this was a place where I wanted to be.

“The blueprint is yet to be written but whilst we are creating this we get to be part of creating a new history and legacy that will continue into the future, this is what excites me the most and opens up new possibilities for staff, players and netball fans in Victoria.”

The team name, location and playing list is yet to be announced, with the administrative details to be announced in the coming weeks ahead of the Super Netball off-season period.