Adelaide Thunderbirds are an
Australian netball team based in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
,
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
. Since
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
they have played in
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
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
and
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
, 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 ...
and between 1997 and 2007, they played in the
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. Thunderbirds have won four premierships. They won their first two premierships in 1998 and 1999 during the Commonwealth Bank Trophy era and their third and fourth in
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
and
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
during ANZ Championship era. Historically, Thundersbirds are one of Australia's most successful netball teams. Between 1997 and 2010 they finished in the top three of every regular season.
History
Commonwealth Bank Trophy
Between 1997 and 2007, Adelaide Thunderbirds played in the
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. Together with
Adelaide Ravens
Adelaide Ravens were an Australian netball team that, together with Adelaide Thunderbirds, represented Netball South Australia in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy league. In 1997 Ravens were founder members of the league. In 1999 they were grand fi ...
,
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 Comm ...
,
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 Comm ...
,
Perth Orioles
Perth Orioles were an Australian netball team that, between 1997 and 2007, represented Netball Western Australia in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy. Orioles were one of the founding teams of the competition. They never finished higher than sixth i ...
,
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 C ...
,
Sydney Sandpipers
Sydney Sandpipers were an Australian netball team based in Sydney. Between 1997 and 2003, they represented Netball New South Wales in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy league. Together with Sydney Swifts and Hunter Jaegers, they were one of three t ...
and
Sydney Swifts
Sydney Swifts were an Australian netball team based in Sydney. Between 1997 and 2007, they represented Netball New South Wales in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy league. Together with Sydney Sandpipers and Hunter Jaegers, they were one of three te ...
, 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
Netball South Australia is the governing body for netball in South Australia. It is affiliated to Netball Australia. It is responsible for organizing and managing the Netball South Australia Premier League as well as numerous other leagues and ...
and each team was assigned four
state league
The Hallyburton Johnstone Shield is the premier domestic women's one-day cricket competition in New Zealand. The tournament began in 1935–36, as a first-class competition, but is now played as a 50-over competition, with six provincial teams ...
clubs to select players from. Thunderbirds were aligned with Cheerio,
Contax
Contax (stylised as CONTAX in the Kyocera era) began as a German camera model in the Zeiss Ikon line in 1932, and later became a brand name. The early cameras were among the finest in the world, typically featuring high quality Zeiss intercha ...
,
Matrics and
Oakdale. With a team coached by former Contax head coach, Margaret Angove and a starting seven featuring Rebecca Sanders,
Kathryn Harby-Williams
Kathryn Harby-Williams (born 16 July 1969) is an Australian netball player and television presenter. She captained the Australian netball team.
Harby-Williams currently works with Radio Sport New Zealand and is a Sky TV commentator for Sky S ...
,
Jacqui Delaney
Jacqui Delaney is a former Australia netball international. Between 1997 and 2002 she made 21 senior appearances for Australia. Delaney was a member of the Australia teams that won the gold medals at the 1999 World Netball Championships and th ...
, Sarah Sutter,
Peta Squire, Cassie Mogg and
Alex Hodge, Thunderbirds won their first two premierships and grand finals in 1998 and 1999.
;Regular season statistics
ANZ Championship
Between
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
and
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
, Thunderbirds 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 ...
.
Natalie von Bertouch
Natalie von Bertouch ( ; born 16 December 1982), also known as Natalie Bode, is a former Australia netball international. Between 2004 and 2012 she made 76 senior appearances for Australia. Bertouch was a member of the Australia teams that won ...
became the inaugural ANZ Championship Thunderbirds captain. She subsequently captained Thunderbirds to two ANZ Championship titles.
In
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, after finishing second during the regular season, they defeated the minor premiers,
New South Wales Swifts
New South Wales Swifts are an Australian netball team based in Sydney, New South Wales. Since 2017 they have represented Netball New South Wales in Suncorp Super Netball. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Championship. The team was ...
, in the major semi-final and
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 ...
in the grand final.
In
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
, Natalie von Bertouch captained Thunderbirds to their fourth premiership after they 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 C ...
in the grand final.
;Regular season statistics
Suncorp Super Netball
Since
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
, Thunderbirds have played in
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 ...
.
They have been an unsuccessful franchise as of 2022, having not yet made finals or finished higher than 7th place.
;Regular season statistics
Grand finals
;
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 ...
;
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 ...
Home venues
Thunderbirds have played the majority of their home games at the
Netball SA Stadium
Netball SA Stadium is an Australia netball stadium based in Mile End South, Adelaide. Due to sponsorship and naming rights arrangements, it has also been known as ETSA Park and Priceline Stadium. The stadium is owned by the Government of Sou ...
. Due to sponsorship arrangements this venue has also be known as
ETSA Park or
Priceline Stadium
Netball SA Stadium is an Australia netball stadium based in Mile End South, Adelaide. Due to sponsorship and naming rights arrangements, it has also been known as ETSA Park and Priceline Stadium. The stadium is owned by the Government of Sout ...
.
Thunderbirds have also played home games, including the
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
and
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
grand finals, at the
Adelaide Entertainment Centre
The Adelaide Entertainment Centre (AEC) is an indoor arena located in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It is used for sporting and entertainment events. It is the principal venue for concerts, events and attractions for audiences bet ...
.
Thunderbirds have also played home games at the
Adelaide Arena
Adelaide Arena (known commercially as Adelaide 36ers Arena) is a multipurpose indoor sports stadium located in Findon, an inner western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia.
It is the former home arena for the Adelaide 36ers of the NBL and th ...
.
Thunderbirds played a
2019 Suncorp Super Netball Round 7 home match against
Sunshine Coast Lightning at the
Territory Netball Stadium
Territory Netball Stadium is an Australia netball stadium located in Marrara, a suburb of Darwin, Northern Territory. The stadium is owned by the Government of the Northern Territory who in turn lease it to Netball Northern Territory. Since o ...
.
Team colours
During the
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 ...
era, Thunderbirds main colour was silver. Between
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
and
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, when Thundersbirds were sponsored by
Port Adelaide Football Club
Port Adelaide Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Alberton, South Australia, Alberton, South Australia. The club's senior men's team plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), where they are nicknamed ...
, they adopted their sponsors team colours of black, white, teal and silver. Ahead of the
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 ...
season, Thunderbirds announced they were changing their team colours to pink.
;Logos
File:Adelthunderbirdslogo.png, Commonwealth Bank Trophy 1997–2007
File:Adelaide Thunderbirds 2008.jpg, ANZ Championship 2008–2010
File:Adelaide Thunderbirds.jpg, ANZ Championship 2011
Notable players
2023 squad
Internationals
;
;
;
*
Carla Borrego
Carla Borrego (born 11 November 1983), also known as Carla Williams and Carla Williams-Borrego, is a former Jamaica netball international. She was a member of the Jamaica team that won the bronze medal at the 2003 World Netball Championships. ...
*
Shimona Nelson
Shimona Nelson (born 1 December 1998) is a Jamaican netball player in the Suncorp Super Netball league, playing for the Collingwood Magpies.
Career
Nelson broke into the senior Jamaica national netball team in early 2017 in a test series agains ...
*
Shamera Sterling
Shamera Sterling (born 21 October 1995) is a Jamaican netball player. She was part of the Jamaican squad that won bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Earlier that year she was signed by Loughborough Lightning in the Netball Superleague. Aft ...
* Latanya Wilson
;
*
Leana de Bruin
Leana de Bruin (née du Plooy) (born 9 July 1977) is a South African and New Zealand international netball player. De Bruin played 34 tests for South Africa before moving to New Zealand in 2000. She made her on-court debut for the Silver Ferns i ...
*
Maria Folau
*
Cathrine Latu
Cathrine Tuivaiti (née Latu; born 25 October 1986 in West Auckland, New Zealand) is a New Zealand netball player of Tongan, Samoan, and Māori descent.
Career Early career
Cathrine Tuivaiti was a member of the New Zealand Secondary Schools ...
;
*
Cathrine Latu
Cathrine Tuivaiti (née Latu; born 25 October 1986 in West Auckland, New Zealand) is a New Zealand netball player of Tongan, Samoan, and Māori descent.
Career Early career
Cathrine Tuivaiti was a member of the New Zealand Secondary Schools ...
;
*
Fiona Themann
Fiona Themann (born 18 April 1990), also known as Fiona Fowler, is a Scotland netball international. She represented Scotland at the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games and at the 2015 Netball World Cup. At club level, she has played for Melbour ...
;
Captains
Coaches
;Head Coaches
;Assistant coaches
;Specialist coaches
Main sponsors
Premierships
*
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 ...
**''Winners'':
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
,
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
**''Runners Up'':
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
*
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 ...
**''Winners'': 1998, 1999
**''Runners Up'': 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006
Southern Force
Southern Force
The Battle of Leyte Gulf ( fil, Labanan sa golpo ng Leyte, lit=Battle of Leyte gulf; ) was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. It was fou ...
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 Thunderbirds. They play in the
Australian Netball League. In 2012 they were ANL Champions.
References
External links
Adelaide Thunderbirds on Facebook Adelaide Thunderbirds on Twitter
{{Adelaide Sports Teams
ANZ Championship teams
Commonwealth Bank Trophy teams
1997 establishments in Australia
Sports clubs established in 1997
Sporting clubs in Adelaide
Suncorp Super Netball teams
Netball teams in South Australia
Netball teams in Australia