The selection of these athletes has been based on performances in Suncorp Super Netball, the Deakin University Australian Netball League, the National Netball Championships and training camps throughout 2019.
South Australians Nyah Allen, Lucy Austin, Chelsea Blackman, Georgia Dent, Kimberley Hearnden, Georgie Horjus, Tyler Orr, and Tayla Williams will first meet with the entire squad at the Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra, on Friday 14 February 2020 for a four-day training camp that will commence Netball Australia’s 2021 Netball World Youth Cup campaign.
A second squad selection will then be made at the beginning of August 2020 and these athletes will represent Australia on a tour of Fiji later in the year where the squad will play several matches to prepare them for international competition.
This strong South Australian contingent selection follows an incredibly successful year for the state’s pathway teams, with the 17/U and 19/U taking home gold medals at the National Netball Championships in April and the U15 team taking first place at the School Sport Australia championships.
Netball SA CEO, Bronwyn Klei, says she is immensely proud of South Australia’s representation in the squad.
“Netball South Australia is thrilled to share that eight athletes from our pathway programs have been selected in the Australian Netball World Youth Cup squad for 2019/2020, and outstandingly South Australia has the highest representation of any state.”
“All eight of our representatives were a part of the 17/U and 19/U state teams that brought home gold for South Australia at the National Netball Champions in April and this WYC squad selection is a great reward for their outstanding efforts on the netball court this year.”
“Our interstate counterparts have much bigger talent pools by sheer number, so South Australia’s achievements on the national stage are a credit to the calibre of coaches, Pathway and Academy Programs, and athletes playing and enjoying the sport in our state.”
“National representatives aren’t produced overnight; they are nurtured through underage pathways and state teams, so it is pleasing to see that our development programs in South Australia are on the right track.”
Australia has won the Netball World Youth Cup four times, in 1988, 1996, 2000 and 2009. New Zealand has also won the event four times, including the last two titles in 2013 and 2017.
10 out of the 18 members of the current Samsung Australia Diamonds squad played in a Netball World Youth Cup tournament earlier in their careers.
Head Coach of the Australian World Youth Cup Team, Kylie Byrne, says she is looking forward to working with the talented squad.
“The future of Australian netball is looking very bright with the calibre of athletes myself and the selectors were presented with during this process.”
“It’s exciting to be kicking off our World Youth Cup campaign with such a strong squad and I’m really looking forward to working with this group over the next 19 months to bring home that Cup in 2021.”
2019/2020 Australian Netball World Youth Cup squad:
- Nyah Allen – South Australia
- Sunday Aryang – Western Australia
- Lucy Austin – South Australia
- Chelsea Blackman – South Australia
- Maggie Caris – Victoria
- Georgia Dent – South Australia
- Sophie Dwyer – New South Wales
- Macy Gardner – Queensland
- Kimberley Hearnden – South Australia
- Georgie Horjus – South Australia
- Clare Iongi – New South Wales
- Matisse Letherbarrow – New South Wales
- Sacha McDonald – Victoria
- Matilda McDonell – New South Wales
- Annie Miller – New South Wales
- Hannah Mundy – Victoria
- Tyler Orr – South Australia
- Martina Reekers – Queensland
- Maddison Ridley – Victoria
- Trinity Rond – Western Australia
- Amy Sligar – New South Wales
- Allie Smith – Victoria
- Tayla Williams – South Australia
- Sarahpheinna Woulf – Queensland
