Liz Ellis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Liz Ellis
AO

Liz Ellis, Celebrity Grand Prix Day, 11 March 2008
Personal information
Full name	Elizabeth Margaret Ellis
Born	(1973-01-17) 17 January 1973 (age 52) Windsor, New South Wales, Australia
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
School	St Andrews College, Marayong
University	Macquarie University
Occupation	Netball player television presenter
Spouse	Matthew Stocks
Children	2
Netball career
Playing position(s): GK
Years	Club team(s)	Apps
1997–07	Sydney Swifts	173
Years	National team(s)	Caps
1992	Australia U21
1993–07	Australia	122
Medal record Representing  Australia Netball World Championships Gold 2007 Auckland Netball Silver 2003 Kingston Netball Gold 1999 Christchurch Netball Gold 1995 Birmingham Netball Commonwealth Games Silver 2006 Melbourne Netball Gold 2002 Manchester Netball Gold 1998 Kuala Lumpur Netball
Last updated: 2015-06-24

Elizabeth Margaret Ellis, known as Liz Ellis, is a famous Australian netball player. She is also a popular television presenter. Liz was a key member of the Australian national netball team from 1992 to 2007. For the last four years, she was even the team's captain. She holds the record for playing the most international games for Australia in netball. In 2006, Liz Ellis was honored by being added to the Victorian Honour Roll of Women.

Early Life and Education

Liz Ellis was born in Windsor, New South Wales, Australia. Her birthday is January 17, 1973. She went to Holy Family High School. Later, she finished her high school years at John Paul II Senior High School. This school is now called St Andrew's College.

Liz also received a special netball scholarship. This allowed her to attend the Australian Institute of Sport. While playing netball, she also studied hard. She earned a law degree from Macquarie University.

Netball Career Highlights

Liz Ellis started her journey at the Australian Institute of Sport. This was between 1991 and 1992. She played her first game for the Australian Netball Team in July 1993. This game was against Wales.

Becoming an International Star

Liz truly shined at the 1995 World Championships. This event took place in Birmingham. She played an amazing game in the final against South Africa. This performance made her a big name in international netball.

She became a regular player for the Australian Netball Team. She played in four World Championships: 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. Liz also competed in the Commonwealth Games in 2002 and 2006.

Leadership and Records

In 2000, Liz was named the team's Vice-Captain. By 2004, she became the Captain. In 2005, she set a new record. She played the most test matches ever for Australia. Liz was also named Australia's Most Valued Player four times. These awards were in 1996, 1998, 2002, and 2006.

Liz also captained the Sydney Swifts club team starting in 2000. She led them to win the Commonwealth Bank Trophy in 2001, 2004, 2006, and 2007. She played her whole club career with the Swifts. Liz holds the record for the most games played in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy, with 173 matches.

Overcoming Challenges

In October 2005, Liz faced a serious knee injury. This happened during a match against New Zealand. Many thought her career might be over. But Liz worked hard to recover. She had a full knee reconstruction. She proved everyone wrong by playing some of her best netball in the next two years.

Liz Ellis announced she was retiring from netball on November 19, 2007. This was just two days after she led Australia to win the World Championship. They beat New Zealand in the final.

Television Career

After retiring from netball, Liz became a netball commentator. She first worked for Fox Sports and Network Ten. She covered the ANZ Championship and Australian Diamonds test matches.

Later, she moved to the Nine Network. This was when they started showing the Suncorp Super Netball league. She also became a regular guest on their weekly show, Sports Sunday.

Recent TV Appearances

In 2023, Liz was a contestant on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in Australia. She won the ninth season of the show! Also in 2023, she started appearing regularly on Network 10's The Project as a panelist.

In October 2023, Network 10 announced exciting news. Liz Ellis would host a new sports show called Gladiators Australia in 2024. She hosts it with Beau Ryan. The show officially started on January 15, 2024.

Personal Life and Family

Liz Ellis met Matthew Stocks in 1992. They got engaged in 2000 and married in 2006.

On September 28, 2011, Liz gave birth to her first child. It was a daughter, born at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. On April 4, 2016, she welcomed her second child, a son.

In 2018, Liz wrote a book called "If at First You Don't Conceive". This book shared her personal experiences with the challenges of having children.

In August 2022, Liz appeared on the TV show Who Do You Think You Are?. On the show, she learned about her family history. She found connections to Condobolin and even a convict ancestor.

In May 2024, Liz Ellis was chosen to be the Chair of the Netball Australia Board. This is a very important role in Australian netball.

Awards and Recognition

Liz Ellis has received many honors for her amazing career.

Order of Australia

In 2018, Liz became an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO). This is a very high honor in Australia. She received it for her "distinguished service to netball as an elite player and coach". It also recognized her support for young women. She was also honored for her work in broadcast and print media, and for her community contributions.

Liz Ellis Diamond Award

Since 2008, the top award for an Australian netball player is named after her. It is called the annual Liz Ellis Diamond. This shows how much her career is valued.

In 2019, she was added to the Hall of Fame. This was at the Australian Women's Health Sport Awards.

In 2020, a river-class ferry in Sydney was named in her honor. This ferry is part of the Sydney Ferries network.