Top Diamond sticks around
NETBALL Australia have put their faith in national coach Lisa Alexander beyond next year’s World Cup with the boss of one of Australia’s most successful sporting teams offered an extension to her contract.
The extension will make Alexander, who’s in camp with the national Diamonds ahead of their first game of the Quad Series on Saturday, the longest continuously serving Australian netball coach.
Alexander, who led the Australian team to the last world title and will be in charge of the side bidding to defend it in the UK next year, will remain as head coach until at least the end of 2020.
There is an option to extend the contract even further to until after the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
“It is heartening to know that I have the support of Netball Australia to continue with the Samsung Diamonds on our journey to be the world’s best high performance program,’’ Alexander said in a statement.
“It’s an exciting time for the Diamonds in having recently undergone a generational shift – we have a new and evolved squad and an enormous amount of talent coming through the Netball Australia pathways, the future is very promising.”
Alexander took on the role as coach after Norma Plummer led Australia to the 2011 world championship crown in Singapore.
On Saturday, Alexander will face the Plummer-coached South African side when the Diamonds open their Quad Series campaign in Auckland.
IT’S AN EXCITING TIME FOR THE DIAMONDS IN HAVING RECENTLY UNDERGONE A GENERATIONAL SHIFT
LISA ALEXANDER