Picture: Tayla Styles (WCF Futures 17’s), Ruth Aryang (WCF Reserves), Sloan Burton (WCF Extended Squad), Courtney Bruce (WCF Captain), Jerome Gillbard (WCF Men), Emma Putt (WCF Academy) and Jamaica Jauncey (WCF Futures 19).
West Coast Fever is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the club’s origins as the Perth Orioles and expanding its footprint in 2022 to integrate more than 60 athletes from across WA into a new club structure.
The Perth Orioles competed in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy from 1997 to 2007, before re-branding as the West Coast Fever in 2008, to compete in a new trans-Tasman competition.
Since the first Orioles game on Saturday April 12, 1997, the club has grown and evolved as a professional sporting franchise, competing as West Coast Fever in the ANZ Championship from 2008 to 2016 and Suncorp Super Netball league since 2017, including two Grand Final appearances.
West Coast Fever General Manager – Performance & Pathway Sue Gaudion said that a focus on sustained growth and future success, would see the club extend the structure of its talent pathway in 2022.
“Our club has a proud history as one of the founding teams in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy and we will continue striving to be the very best, by setting up a structure that will strengthen the club on its 25th anniversary and continue building towards our 50th anniversary and beyond,” Gaudion said.
“This new structure will encompass 17s and 19s West Coast Fever Futures Squads, which will receive education, training and development opportunities as the next generation of emerging talent.”
“The expansion of the club also includes re-branding Western Sting as West Coast Fever Reserves to represent WA at the Australian Netball Championships, and formalising the involvement of four elite men in our training environment,” she said.
The West Coast Fever Academy program will also be retained, seeing the overall number of athletes engaged with the club more than doubling to 64.
Players will be selected from the West Coast Fever 17s and 19s Futures Squads to represent WA at the National Championships each year.
In addition, regional and metropolitan academies will feed into the club, engaging approximately 500 netballers throughout WA in West Coast Fever Pod programs.
West Coast Fever will officially celebrate its 25th anniversary during Suncorp Super Netball Heritage Round.
West Coast Fever’s first game of the 2022 Suncorp Super Netball season will be played at RAC Arena, Perth, at 1pm on Sunday, March 27 against Sunshine Coast Lightning.
Tickets to all home 2022 games are available here
