Melbourne Vixens is an Australian netball team based in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. Since 2017 they have represented

Netball Victoria Netball Victoria is the governing body for netball in Victoria, Australia. It is affiliated to Netball Australia. It is responsible for organising and managing the elite level team, Melbourne Vixens, who compete in the Suncorp Super Netball. It i ...

Suncorp Super Netball Suncorp Super Netball is the top level netball league featuring teams from Australia. In 2017 it replaced the ANZ Championship, which also included teams from New Zealand, as the top level netball league in Australia. Since 2019, the league has ...

. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the

ANZ Championship The ANZ Championship, also known as the Trans-Tasman Netball League, is a former netball league featuring teams from both Australia and New Zealand. Between 2008 and 2016, it was the top-level league in both countries. The competition was owned ...

. The team was formed in 2007 when Netball Victoria merged its two former

Commonwealth Bank Trophy The Commonwealth Bank Trophy, also referred to as the National Netball League, was the top level national Australian netball league between 1997 and 2007. The league was organized by Netball Australia. Its main sponsor was the Commonwealth Ba ...

league teams,

Melbourne Phoenix Melbourne Phoenix were an Australian netball team that represented Netball Victoria in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy. Between 1997 and 2007, together with Melbourne Kestrels, they were one of two teams to represent Netball Victoria in the Common ...

and

Melbourne Kestrels Melbourne Kestrels were an Australian netball team that represented Netball Victoria in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy. Between 1997 and 2007, together with Melbourne Phoenix, they were one of two teams to represent Netball Victoria in the Common ...

. Vixens have won three premierships, in 2009, 2014 and

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

History

ANZ Championship

Between 2008 and 2016, Vixens played in the

. Vixens were formed in late 2007 when

merged its two former

league teams,

and

, in order to enter a single team in the 2008 ANZ Championship. During the

era, Vixens won two premierships, in 2009 and 2014. In 2009, with a team co-captained by

Bianca Chatfield Bianca Chatfield (born 2 April 1982) is a former Australia netball international. Between 2001 and 2014 she made 59 senior appearances for Australia. Chatfield was a member of the Australia teams that won the gold medals at the 2007 World Netb ...

and

Sharelle McMahon Sharelle Jane McMahon (born 12 August 1977) is an Australian former netball player who captained the Australia national netball team. She played in the goal attack and goal shooter positions. Domestic career Born in Bamawm, Victoria, McMahon ...

, Vixens won 12 of their 13 matches during the regular season and finished as minor premiers. Vixens subsequently defeated

Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic are a New Zealand netball team based in Hamilton. Between 1999 and 2007, they played in the Coca-Cola Cup/National Bank Cup league. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Championship. Since 2017, Magic have ...

58–43 in the major semi-final and

Adelaide Thunderbirds Adelaide Thunderbirds are an Australian 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 pla ...

54–46 in the grand final to finish as overall champions. In 2012, with a team captained by Bianca Chatfield, and featuring

Madison Browne Madison “Madi” Browne (born 5 January 1988) is an Australian netball player who has been one of the most successful Australian Netball players to play in the British Netball Superleague for Leeds Rhinos Netball. Early life Madison Browne pl ...

Julie Corletto Julie Corletto (née Prendergast; born 10 October 1986) is an Australian international netball player. She played for the Australian Diamonds and NSW Swifts but has now retired. She usually played in the positions of goal defence and wing defen ...

and

Geva Mentor Geva Kate Mentor CBE (born 17 September 1984) is an England netball international. She has competed in 6 Commonwealth Games: and in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games she was honoured to read, during the Opening Ceremony, The Athletes Oa ...

, Vixens finished the season as minor premiers. In the major semi-final they defeated

Northern Mystics Northern Mystics are a New Zealand netball team based in Auckland. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Championship. Since 2017 they have represented Netball Northern in the ANZ Premiership. Netball Northern is the governing body t ...

56–50. This was the first ever netball match held at

Rod Laver Arena Rod Laver Arena is a multipurpose arena located within Melbourne Park, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The arena is the main venue for the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the calendar year. History Replacing ...

. However they lost the grand final 41–38 to Magic and finished the season as runners-up. In 2014, with a team coached by

Simone McKinnis Simone McKinnis is a former Australia netball international and the current head coach of Melbourne Vixens in Suncorp Super Netball. As a player she was a member of the Australia teams that won gold medals at the 1991 and 1995 World Netball C ...

, captained by Bianca Chatfield and also featuring

Tegan Caldwell Tegan Alyce Philip (née Caldwell; born 3 September 1988) is a retired Australian Netball player, who for her entire professional career played for the Melbourne Vixens in the ANZ Championship and Suncorp Super Netball competitions. Netball ca ...

, Geva Mentor,

Madison Robinson Madison “Madi” Browne (born 5 January 1988) is an Australian netball player who has been one of the most successful Australian Netball players to play in the British Netball Superleague for Leeds Rhinos Netball. Early life Madison Browne pl ...

and the veteran Catherine Cox, Vixens won both the minor premiership and the overall championship. Vixens defeated

Queensland Firebirds Queensland Firebirds are an Australian netball team based in Brisbane, Queensland. 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 ...

in both the major semi-final and the grand final as they won their second premiership. ;Regular season statistics

Suncorp Super Netball

Since 2017, Vixens have represented

. With a team coached by

and captained by

Kate Moloney Kate Moloney is an Australian netballer who plays for the Melbourne Vixens in the Suncorp Super Netball league. As of April 2017, she is the captain of the Vixens. Moloney made her domestic league netball debut for the Vixens in 2013 and was appo ...

, Vixens finished the inaugural season as minor premiers. However they subsequently lost both the major semi-final and preliminary final during the Finals Series and finished third overall. Four Vixens players –

Mwai Kumwenda Mwai Kumwenda ' (born 27 September 1989) is a Malawi netball international player. She represented Malawi at the 2010, 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games and at the 2011 and 2015 Netball World Cups. Kumwenda was the top goal scorer at three s ...

, Tegan Philip, Liz Watson and

Jo Weston Joanna Weston (born 14 February 1994) is an Australian netball player for the Australian Diamonds and Melbourne Vixens in the Suncorp Super Netball league. She was part of the Diamonds side that won silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and ...

were named in the 2017

Team of the Year Team of the Year may refer to: * BBC Sports Personality of the Year Team Award * Canadian Press Team of the Year Award *GPA Gaelic Team of the Year * IRB International Sevens Team of the Year * IRB International Team of the Year * J.League Team of ...

. In

, with a team coached again by Simone McKinnis and co-captained by Kate Moloney and Liz Watson, Vixens finished the season as both minor premiers and overall champions. In the Grand Final they defeated

West Coast Fever West Coast Fever is an Australian netball team based in Perth, Western Australia. Since 2017 they have played in Suncorp Super Netball. Between 2008 and 2016, they competed in the ANZ Championship. Between 1997 and 2007, as Perth Orioles, t ...

66–64. Following its championship win in 2020, the Vixens struggled in

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, finishing last and claiming the

wooden spoon Wooden Spoon may refer to: * Wooden spoon, implement * Wooden spoon (award) A wooden spoon is an award that is given to an individual or team that has come last in a competition. Examples range from the academic to sporting and more frivolous e ...

for the first time in club history. Vixens dominated the 2022 regular season before a shock defeat in the major semi-final by the West Coast Fever forced them to reach the Grand Final by winning the preliminary final, winning against

GIANTS Netball Giants Netball (stylised as GIANTS Netball) are an Australian netball team based in Greater Western Sydney, New South Wales. Since 2017 they have played in Suncorp Super Netball. The team was formed in 2016 as a joint venture between Netball N ...

55-54. The club was unable to beat the Fever in the Grand Final, losing 70-59 and walking away runners-up. ;Regular season statistics

Grand finals

;

Home venues

Vixens main home venue has been

John Cain Arena John Cain Arena is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena located within Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. It is the second-largest venue and show court for the Australian Open, the first Grand Sla ...

. Between 2008 and

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

they also played some home games at the State Netball Hockey Centre. Since 2015,

Margaret Court Arena Margaret Court Arena is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment venue located in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The arena, which was built in 1987 and redeveloped in the mid-2010s, has a capacity of 7,500. History Originally ...

has replaced the SNHC as Vixens secondary venue. ;Notes * Previously known as Vodafone Arena,

Hisense Arena John Cain Arena is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena located within Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the second-largest venue and show court for the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam professional tenni ...

and

Melbourne Arena John Cain Arena is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena located within Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the second-largest venue and show court for the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam professional tenni ...

Notable players

2023 squad

Internationals

; ; *

Karyn Bailey Karyn Bailey (born 28 July 1986) is a former Australian netball player who played for the Melbourne Vixens, Adelaide Thunderbirds. and played for the Surrey Storm ( UK) from 2018 - 2021. After Storm's final game on Monday 21st June 2021, she r ...

Johannah Curran Johannah Curran (born 9 December 1986) is an Australian netball player. In 2008, Curran played for the Melbourne Vixens in the ANZ Championship. Curran played for the West Coast Fever in the 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons. In 2012 she took a year ...

Carla Dziwoki Carla Dziwoki (born 29 August 1982) is a former Australian netball player. Dziwoki played with the Queensland Firebirds in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy. She played for Team Northumbria in the 2008–09 Netball Superleague for the . She also ...

Amy Steel Amy Steel Pulitzer (born Alice Amy Steel; May 3, 1960) is an American film and television actress. She made her acting debut in the comedy film ''Fat Chance'' (1981) directed by Manuel Summers. She then gained recognition for her role as aspir ...

; *

Ama Agbeze Ama Agbeze (born 12 November 1982) is an England netball international. She was captain when England won the gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. In 2019 she received an for her services to netball. She was also a member of the England ...

Abby Sargent Abby Marie Sargent ( née Teare; born 25 May 1977 in Melbourne, Australia) is a retired Australian netball player. Sargent was also a member of the England national team that played in the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games. She also played f ...

; * Kadie-Ann Dehaney ; *

; * Ine-Marí Venter

Captains

Award winners

Australian Netball Awards

;

Liz Ellis Diamond The following is a list notable Australian netball international players who have represented the national team in international tournaments such as the Commonwealth Games, the Netball World Cup, the World Games, the Constellation Cup, the Net ...

; Australian ANZ Championship Player of the Year

Suncorp Super Netball

; SSN Grand Final MVP ; SSN Team of the Year

ANZ Championship

; ANZ Championship MVP ;Notes * In 2016

was the MVP player in the Australian Conference and

Jhaniele Fowler Jhaniele Fowler (formerly known as Jhaniele Fowler-Reid; born 21 July 1989) is a professional Jamaican netball player and as of 2018 a member of the West Coast Fever in the Suncorp Super Netball League. Fowler also plays domestic netball in Jam ...

was the MVP player in the New Zealand Conference. ;

ANZ Championship Grand Final MVP The following is a list of netball players who played in the ANZ Championship between 2008 and 2016. ANZ Championship award winners There were four official ANZ Championship Awards. ANZ Championship Most Valuable Player ;Notes * Romelda Aike ...

; ANZ Championship All Stars

Vixens awards

;Sharelle McMahon Medal Since 2014, the Vixens' most valuable player of season award has been known as the Sharelle McMahon Medal, named after

. ;Coaches' Award ;Player of the Finals ;Rookie of the Year ;Excellence in Sport and Life Award

Head coaches

Team song

You want the best, Here we are, We'll give it all right now.
We're here to win, Come with us
We're gonna show you how Stand up, Be proud, Shout it out loud We are the Vixens, No one stands in our way, Power together
Stronger in every way, As one We wear it true, Navy blue, That's what we're all about
Victoria, Feel the pride. And let the fox come out Power, Power together, Power as one, Power, Power together
Vixens! One team, One dream, Shout it out loud We are the Vixens, No one stands in our way, Power together
Stronger in every way, As one

Victorian Fury

Victorian Fury Victorian Fury are an netball in Australia, Australian netball team that represents Netball Victoria in the Australian Netball League. In 2008 they were both founder members and the inaugural champions of the league. They retained the title in 20 ...

are the

reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to i ...

of Melbourne Vixens. They play in the Australian Netball League. Fury are the most successful team in the ANL, winning their eighth premiership in 2019.

Premierships

**''Winners'':

**''Minor Premierships'': 2017,

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

**''Winners'': 2009, 2014 **''Runners Up'': 2012 **''Minor Premierships'': 2009, 2012, 2014

References

{{Melbourne Sports Teams Netball teams in Australia ANZ Championship teams Suncorp Super Netball teams Sports clubs established in 2007 2007 establishments in Australia Sport in the City of Melbourne (LGA)