Alumni Continuing to Excel on World Stage

Written on the 14 August 2023 by Macarthur Chronicle

On the tail end of celebrating an incredible sport program year at the recent Academy Athlete Graduation and Sport Awards Dinner, with sporting success after sporting success being achieved by athletes of the South West Sydney Academy of Sport within the local community, the Academy is excited to report on the success of both current and alumni athletes who have featured on the international stage in recent weeks.

Including most recently this past weekend, where alumni Hockey athlete Courtney Schonell helped secure the Hockeyroo’s ticket to Paris, scoring what ended up being the match winning goal against New Zealand. With now just under a year to Paris 2024, it is hoped that Schonell, fast becoming a mainstay within the current Hockeyroos rotation, will become the Academy’s third Hockey, and ninth athlete overall to represent Australia at the Olympics.

Schonell is not the only former Academy Alumni to achieve great success, with netballer Ash Brazill claiming Gold at the Netball World Cup, held in South Africa only a few weeks ago.

“We are so proud to have been able to watch Ash (Brazill’s) journey from a junior athlete to Commonwealth Games and World Cup champion” said Academy Sport Operations Manager, Stephen Craig.
“Ash is a pioneer, and a true role model for young female athletes in both Netball and AFL” said Craig, who hopes that even though she has retired from competitive Netball, that the legacy she leaves on the sport will be long.

Yet it’s not just the Australian Diamond’s who were boosted by a strong Academy connection, with the Tongan ‘Tala’, making their first World Cup appearance, boasting three alumni and one current member of the Academy’s Bingara Gorge Netball Program.

Finishing an inspiring eighth in the world, former Academy Head Coach Jacqua Pori-Makea-Simpson has indeed stamped her authority on the Tala, leading the program as Tongan National Head Coach throughout the qualification tournaments and World Cup, where her side came away with strong wins against Fiji, Zimbabwe and Scotland. And with three matches against the traditional powerhouse sides in Australia, England and South Africa now under their belts, have the experience and determination to now look ahead to the 2027 World Cup, which will be held in Sydney.

Joining Pori-Makea-Simpson on the sideline's with the Tongan National team were current Academy Head Coach Van Nguyen, taking on the role as Head Physio. Former Academy Athletes Tiana Mosca and Kodie Heddle were also on hand to support the Tala throughout the tournament as support physio and team medic respectively.

Back home another three athletes have had their latest experience on the pathway to become ‘Diamonds’, with the Australian 17 and under National Netball development camp taking place in Canberra throughout July. Current Academy athletes Ellie Hart and Kelis Ogle teamed up with alumni athlete Neveah Matenga as a part of the national pathway program which saw the squad put through their paces by elite and high-performance coaching staff, placing these athletes well on their way to future National selection.

“The opportunities for young girls in sport to stand up and be counted alongside their male counterparts in South West Sydney are fantastic to see”, said Craig, who hopes that the recent success of Australia’s National Women’s teams, including that of the Hockeyroo’s, Diamond’s and the history-making Matilda’s goes a long way to inspire the next generation of young female athletes within the South West. “We hope to see a significant increase in the number of young female athletes nominating and trialling for spots within the Academy’s sporting programs, and ultimately helping their development to achieve their own piece of sporting success.” said Craig.

The Academy has this week also announced nominations are now open for many it’s 2023-2024 sporting programs, with a significant focus on increasing the participation in female sport, with nominations now open for AFL W, 3x3 Basketball, Basketball, Golf, Softball and Wests Future Stars, with the Academy soon to open nominations for BMX, Hockey, Netball and Volleyball, with most nominations closing late September, with trials scheduled for October.

Coach and Support Staff nominations are also being sought across Basketball, 3x3 Basketball, Netball and Volleyball.

For More information on the Academy, head to www.swsas.org.au/nominate  today.

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Pictured: Ellie Hart and Neveah Matenga with Bingara Gorge Project Manager Jeff Atkinson.