The fifth edition of Netball Australia’s PacificAus Sports Netball Series will return next February with new competition added.
The Series will return to Brisbane’s Nissan Arena between 17 – 22,February 2025.
Proudly supported by the Australian Government through the PacificAus Sports programme, the Series aims to provide teams with high-level competition and exposure to a diverse range of play, improving the standard of netball globally.
While successful in showcasing the skills, talents and athleticism of netballers from the Pacific, Australia, and beyond, the Series also celebrates building connections through sport.
In bringing different netball nations together, the PacificAus Sports Netball Series provides athletes with a platform in which they can represent their culture and communities with pride.
This year’s competition will include Pacific teams the Fiji Pearls, Papua New Guinea (PNG) Pepes, Samoa Tifa Moana, and the reigning four time Series champions, the Tonga Tala.
The Pacific teams will be joined by returning domestic invitee, the Australian First Nations Black Swans, who made their debut as an inaugural national team this year at the 2024 PacificAus Sports Netball Series.
The Series lineup will be completed by a debutant invitee, the Scottish Thistles, who have only had seven matches against nations of the Pacific Islands since the 2015 Netball World Cup.
Head Coach of the Scottish Thistles Kath Tetley expressed her excitement for the prospect of their involvement.
“The Series has been hugely popular in the Southern Hemisphere in recent years and for the Thistles to have the opportunity see, learn and grow from the event will be fantastic,” Tetley said.
“Every game will be a great battle. The recent Pacific matches have been fierce and hard-fought, with their creativity and flair, so it is a great challenge for us to be sharp, alert and reactive to the variables in front of us.”
Since joining the PacificAus Sports programme in 2021 and gaining more international opportunities, the PNG Pepes have risen 13 ranking positions in two years – from 42nd in 2022, to now sitting at 29th.
Head Coach of the PNG Pepes Lua Rikis said she was enthusiastic about her team competing in the Series in February.
“Exposure to international tournaments in the last two years has helped the PNG Pepes rise in the world rankings and we’re grateful to Netball PNG and Netball Australia for their high-performance programs,” Rikis said.
“This will be my first international event as the Pepes Head Coach, so I am excited and nervous at the same time because this comes with a lot of expectations.
“We are clear as a team on what we want to achieve at this tournament. Our main aim for this Series is to maintain consistency and be competitive.”
After shaking up the competition last year, the Black Swans return to the Series providing an opportunity for Pacific national teams to compete against some of the best up-and-coming talent in Australia, while providing equitable and accelerated opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander netballers.
First Nations Engagement Manager Beryl Friday is looking forward to seeing the Black Swans highlight their skills for the second year in a row, particularly off the back of a successful First Nations Tournament in September of 2024.
“It’s a chance to introduce new players to a culturally safe high-performance environment, demonstrating those high-performance behaviours and build their capacity and skillset to re-enter their home pathway program with confidence,” Friday said.
“The Series is a great opportunity for the squad to get out on court together and start building connections. It’s an opportunity to highlight their individual strengths and playing diversity whilst demonstrating the natural skill and flair that First Nations athletes possess.
“Off court, it’s a chance to grow and learn from each other as First Nations women and continue to build leadership skills that we can take back to our communities.”
The diversity of teams competing in the Series aims to improve netball’s global standard with the Netball World Cup in Sydney on the horizon while highlighting the development of international relationships through sport.
The fixture for the 2025 PacificAus Sports Netball Series will be announced in 2025.
