Australia national netball team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Australia

Nickname(s)	Diamonds
Association	Netball Australia
Head coach	Stacey Marinkovich
Asst coach	Nicole Richardson
Captain	Liz Watson
Vice-captain	Patricia Tran
Most caps	Liz Ellis (122)
World ranking	1
Team colours Alternate
First international
Australia  40 – 11  New Zealand Royal Park, Melbourne, 20 August 1938
Largest win
Australia  113 - 12  Singapore Sydney, 5 July 1991
Largest defeat
New Zealand  61 - 36  Australia The Trusts Arena, 29 October 2005
Netball World Cup
Appearances	16 (Debuted in 1963)
2023 placing	1st
Titles won	12
Commonwealth Games
Appearances	7 (Debuted in 1998)
2022 placing	1st
Best result	First (1998, 2002, 2014, 2022)

The Australia national netball team, also known as the Australian Diamonds, is Australia's top netball team. They play in big international netball events. These include the Netball World Cup and the Commonwealth Games. They also compete in the Constellation Cup, Netball Quad Series, and Fast5 Netball World Series. The Diamonds played their first official international match in 1938. As of 2023, they have won the World Cup 12 times. They have also won the Commonwealth Games 4 times. The Australian Diamonds are often ranked as the number one netball team in the world.

History of the Diamonds

How it all started

The Australian Diamonds played their very first international netball match on August 20, 1938. They beat New Zealand 40–11 in Royal Park, Melbourne. This was not only Australia's first match against New Zealand, but also the world's first international netball game ever!

The Australian team included a player named Lorna McConchie. The umpires for this historic game included Anne Clark. Australia was supposed to tour New Zealand in 1940. However, the tour was cancelled because of World War II.

In 1948, an Australian team finally toured New Zealand. They won all three matches they played. In 1956, Australia toured England, Scotland, and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). On this tour, they played their first matches against Ceylon, Scotland, and England.

Big rivalry with New Zealand

One of the Australian Diamonds' biggest rivals is the New Zealand team. From 1963 to 2015, these two teams were the strongest in the World Netball Championships and Commonwealth Games. Since 2010, they have also played for the Constellation Cup.

Many of their games have been very exciting and memorable. Some of the most famous matches include the finals of the World Netball Championships in 1991, 1999, and 2011. Their matches at the 2010 and 2014 Commonwealth Games finals were also thrilling. The final game of the 2013 Constellation Cup was another classic.

Tournament Success

Netball World Cup

Australia has played in every World Netball Championships and Netball World Cup since the first one in 1963. Between 1963 and 2015, the Diamonds won 11 championships.

In 1963, Australia became the first-ever champions. The team was coached by Lorna McConchie and captained by Joyce Brown. They won all ten of their matches! In 2005, this amazing 1963 team was honored in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

The 1991 final was especially exciting. Australia beat New Zealand 53–52 in a packed Sydney Entertainment Centre. New Zealand was ahead for most of the game. But Australia pulled ahead in the last few minutes. With only seconds left, Roselee Jencke made a crucial intercept. This helped Australia win by just one goal! This match was shown live on TV and is still called one of the greatest netball games ever. Even the Prime Minister of Australia, Bob Hawke, said it was the best sports contest he had seen. This win was the first of three World Cup titles in a row for Australia.

In 1992, the team and their coach, Joyce Brown, received special awards. In 2012, they were also added to the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

In the 1999 final, Australia was behind New Zealand 28–34 after three quarters. But they fought back and won 42–41 with a last-minute goal from Sharelle McMahon. This victory gave Australia its third World Cup title in a row. In 2014, the 1999 team was also inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

Tournaments	Place
1963 World Netball Championships
1967 World Netball Championships
1971 World Netball Championships
1975 World Netball Championships
1979 World Netball Championships
1983 World Netball Championships
1987 World Netball Championships
1991 World Netball Championships
1995 World Netball Championships
1999 World Netball Championships
2003 World Netball Championships
2007 World Netball Championships
2011 World Netball Championships
2015 Netball World Cup
2019 Netball World Cup
2023 Netball World Cup

Sources:

World Games Netball

Between 1985 and 1993, Australia competed in netball at the World Games. They won one gold medal and two silver medals.

Tournaments	Place
1985 World Games
1989 World Games
1993 World Games

Source:

Commonwealth Games Netball

Australia has competed in every netball tournament at the Commonwealth Games. In 1990, they beat New Zealand in a special match when netball was a demonstration sport.

From 1998 to 2022, they have played in every tournament final. They have won four gold medals and three silver medals. In 1998, Jill McIntosh led Australia to win the first-ever Commonwealth netball title. They defeated New Zealand 42–39 in the final. In 2002, Australia won again, beating New Zealand in the final. This time, Sharelle McMahon scored the winning goal in double extra time!

During the 2010 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, Sharelle McMahon, who was then the team captain, proudly carried the Australian flag. In 2014, Australia won their third Commonwealth title. They beat New Zealand 58–40 in the final. Caitlin Bassett was amazing, scoring 49 goals out of 53 attempts.

Tournaments	Place
1990 Commonwealth Games	n/a
1998 Commonwealth Games
2002 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
2014 Commonwealth Games
2018 Commonwealth Games
2022 Commonwealth Games

Source:

Constellation Cup

Since 2010, Australia and New Zealand have competed for the Constellation Cup.

Tournaments	Place
2010 Constellation Cup
2011 Constellation Cup
2012 Constellation Cup
2013 Constellation Cup
2014 Constellation Cup
2015 Constellation Cup
2016 Constellation Cup
2017 Constellation Cup
2018 Constellation Cup
2019 Constellation Cup
2021 Constellation Cup
2022 Constellation Cup
2023 Constellation Cup
2024 Constellation Cup

Netball Quad Series

Since 2016, Australia has played in the Netball Quad Series. They compete against England, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Tournaments	Place
2016 Netball Quad Series
2017 Netball Quad Series (January/February)
2017 Netball Quad Series (August/September)
2018 Netball Quad Series (January)
2018 Netball Quad Series (September)
2019 Netball Quad Series
2022 Netball Quad Series
2023 Netball Quad Series
2024 Netball Nations Cup

Fast5 Netball World Series

When the team plays in the Fast5 Netball World Series, they are called the Fast5 Flyers.

Tournaments	Place
2009 World Netball Series
2010 World Netball Series	1st
2011 World Netball Series
2012 Fast5 Netball World Series	1st
2013 Fast5 Netball World Series
2014 Fast5 Netball World Series
2016 Fast5 Netball World Series
2017 Fast5 Netball World Series
2018 Fast5 Netball World Series
2022 Fast5 Netball World Series
2023 Fast5 Netball World Series

Home Venues

The Australian Diamonds play their home games at different venues across Australia. Here are some of the courts they have used recently:

Meet the Players

Current Squad

The players listed below were chosen for the 2024 Constellation Cup.

Sources:

Famous Past Players

Captains

Award Winners

Further information: List of Australia international netball players

Coaches of the Diamonds

Sources:

Sponsors

The Australian Diamonds have had different sponsors over the years. Here are some of them:

Honours and Trophies

• World Netball Championships/INF Netball World Cup
  • Winners: 1963, 1971, 1975, 1979, 1983, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2023: 12 times
  • Runners up: 1967, 1987, 2003, 2019: 4 times
• Commonwealth Games
  • Winners: 1998, 2002, 2014, 2022: 4 times
  • Runners Up: 2006, 2010, 2018: 3 times
• Constellation Cup
  • Winners: 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023: 11 times
  • Runners Up: 2012, 2021, 2024: 3 times
• Netball Quad Series
  • Winners: 2016, 2017 (I), 2018 (I), 2018 (II), 2019, 2022, 2023: 7 times
  • Runners Up: 2017 (II): 1 time
• World Games
  • Winners: 1993: 1 time
  • Runners up: 1985, 1989: 2 times
• Fast5 Netball World Series
  • Winners: 2022, 2023: 2 times
  • Runners up: 2013, 2014, 2016: 3 times

See Also

• Netball Australia
• List of Australia national netball team captains
• List of Australia international netball players
• List of netball coaches in Australia