20-663: Uniform Adelaide Thunderbirds are an Australian professional netball team based in Adelaide , South Australia . Since 2017 they have played in Suncorp Super Netball . Between 2008 and 2016 , they played in the ANZ Championship and between 1997 and 2007, they played in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy league. Thunderbirds have won five premierships. They won their first two premierships in 1998 and 1999 during
40-463: A participation sport; it has not managed to become a large spectator sport . In 2005 and 2006, 56,100 Australians attended one to two netball matches, of these, 41,600 were women. 46,200 attended three to five netball matches, with 34,400 of those spectators being women. 86,400 attended six or more netball matches, with 54,800 spectators being female. Overall, 188,800 people attended netball matches, with 130,800 being female. In 2005 and 2006, netball
60-545: A positive for Netball as it allowed people to participate who might not have participated otherwise. Australia's national team toured England in 1957. This tour resulted in a number of Commonwealth countries meeting together in order to try to standardize the rules of the game. The sport's name "netball" became official in Australia in 1940. In Australia 80% of all netball played is played at netball clubs. The number of Netball Clubs around Australia has been in decline since
80-506: The ANZ Championship . Natalie von Bertouch became the inaugural ANZ Championship Thunderbirds captain. She subsequently captained Thunderbirds to two ANZ Championship titles. In 2010 , after finishing second during the regular season, they defeated the minor premiers, New South Wales Swifts , in the major semi-final and Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in the grand final. In 2013 , Natalie von Bertouch captained Thunderbirds to their fourth premiership after they defeated Queensland Firebirds in
100-481: The Commonwealth Bank Trophy league. Together with Adelaide Ravens , Melbourne Kestrels , Melbourne Phoenix , Perth Orioles , Queensland Firebirds , Sydney Sandpipers and Sydney Swifts , Thunderbirds were one of the founding members of the league. Thunderbirds were initially going to be named Adelaide Falcons but the name was changed at the request of the rugby union team . Adelaide Thunderbirds and Adelaide Ravens represented Netball South Australia and each team
120-614: The Netball SA Stadium . Due to sponsorship arrangements this venue has also be known as ETSA Park or Priceline Stadium . Thunderbirds have also played home games, including the 2010 and 2013 grand finals, at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre . Thunderbirds have also played home games at the Adelaide Arena . Thunderbirds played a 2019 Suncorp Super Netball Round 7 home match against Sunshine Coast Lightning at
140-726: The Territory Netball Stadium . In 2024, the Thunderbirds moved all home games to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. During the Commonwealth Bank Trophy era, Thunderbirds main colour was silver. Between 2008 and 2010 , when Thundersbirds were sponsored by Port Adelaide Football Club , they adopted their sponsors team colours of black, white, teal and silver. Ahead of the 2011 season, Thunderbirds announced they were changing their team colours to pink. Source : Source : Source : Southern Force are
160-530: The reserve team of Thunderbirds. They play in the Australian Netball League . In 2012 they were ANL Champions. Netball in Australia Netball is the most popular women's team participation sport in Australia. In 1985, there were 347,000 players, and in 1995, there were over 360,000 Australian netball players. Throughout most of Australia's netball history, the game has largely been
180-624: The 1940s. Between 1985 and 2003, only two Western Australian towns decreased the distance that Netball players had to travel in order to compete; these towns were Brookton and Pingelly . Prior to the creation of the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship in 2013, the National Netball League was the major competition in Australia. It included teams from the Australian Capital Territory , New South Wales , Queensland , Victoria , South Australia and Western Australia . After
200-896: The 2016 ANZ Championship season, Netball Australia pulled out of that competition and established Suncorp Super Netball as the country's new top league. The Netball demographic profile is a 18 to 24 year old, unmarried, Australian-born, female who is employed full-time. The average Netball player in New South Wales has played the game for 10.8 years. Most New South Wales based school-aged Netball players play at school and with friends. Girls from non-English speaking backgrounds were more likely to play for fun than their English speaking counterparts, who often played for their school or parents. Non-English speaking girls were less likely to have mothers who played netball, 18.2%, compared to 35.2% for their English speaking counterparts. Most New South Wales based adult players played netball for fun, and for
220-538: The All-Australia Women's Basketball Association formed in 1927. An All-Australian Tournament, later called the Australian National Championships , was first contested between states in 1928, when it was won by Victoria . During the 1930s in Australia, much of the participation in netball at universities was not organised, and players were not required to register. It was believed that this was
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#1732844199444240-1147: The Australian Diamonds are ranked first on the INF World Rankings . Australia beat the Silver Ferns to win the World Youth Netball Championships in July 2009 in the Cook Islands . Australia also has a men's national team. It has competed in the 2009 and 2011 International Challenge Men's and Mixed Netball Tournament. 1920 1927 1928 1931 1938 1956 1960 1963 1967 1970 1971 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1981 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2010 ANZ Championship season#Grand final The 2010 ANZ Championship season
260-538: The Australia–New Zealand Netball Test held at the Sydney Super Dome game in 2004. Netball, at the time called "women's basketball" (distinct from the form of basketball played by women), was introduced to Australia reportedly as early as 1897, although most sources agree that it was established in that country around the start of the 20th century. Interstate competition began in 1924, with
280-518: The Commonwealth Bank Trophy era, their third and fourth in 2010 and 2013 during ANZ Championship era, and their sixth in 2023 , 2024 during the suncorp netball era. Historically, Thunderbirds are one of Australia's most successful netball teams. Between 1997 and 2010 they finished in the top three of every regular season, and are the first and only team to win a Trophy at all 3 eras. Between 1997 and 2007, Adelaide Thunderbirds played in
300-425: The grand final. Premierships Runners Up Since 2017 , Thunderbirds have played in Suncorp Super Netball . They had struggled in the competition, not making finals or finishing higher than 7th place until winning the grand finals in 2023 and 2024. Premierships Runners Up Source : Thunderbirds have played the majority of their home games at
320-450: The physical benefits of the sport. The country has hosted several major important international netball events including: The Australian national netball team is regarded as the most successful netball team in international netball. It won the first world championships in 1963 in England, and nine of the twelve Netball World Championships. In addition to being the current world champions,
340-562: The season in third place. After defeating Swifts in the major semi-final, Thunderbirds defeated Magic 52–42 in the grand final, winning their third premiership . Source : New South Wales Swifts went through the entire regular season home and away undefeated, winning 13 consecutive matches and finishing as minor premiers. They were the first team in the history of the ANZ Championship to do this. Round 4 featured five Australia verses New Zealand matches. Goals scored by Australian and New Zealand teams were added together and
360-560: Was assigned four state league clubs to select players from. Thunderbirds were aligned with Cheerio, Contax , Matrics and Oakdale . With a team coached by former Contax head coach, Margaret Angove and a starting seven featuring Rebecca Sanders, Kathryn Harby-Williams , Jacqui Delaney , Sarah Sutter, Peta Squire , Cassie Mogg and Alex Hodge , Thunderbirds won their first two premierships and grand finals in 1998 and 1999. Premierships Runners Up Source : Between 2008 and 2016 , Thunderbirds played in
380-408: Was the 10th most popular spectator sport for women with Australian rules football (1,011,300), horse racing (912,200), rugby league (542,600), motor sports (462,100), rugby union (232,400), football (212,200), harness racing (190,500), cricket (183,200) and tennis (163,500) all being more popular. The country set an attendance record for a Netball match with a record crowd of 14,339 at
400-577: Was the third season of the ANZ Championship . The 2010 season began on 20 March and concluded on 11 July. New South Wales Swifts went through the entire regular season home and away undefeated, winning 13 consecutive matches and finishing as minor premiers. They were the first team in the history of the ANZ Championship to do this. However they subsequently lost both the major semi-final and the preliminary final to Adelaide Thunderbirds and Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic respectively and eventually finished
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