Netball’s night of nights will take place this week and while Australian netball’s most prestigious award the Liz Ellis Diamond is up for grabs there’s two new awards also on the agenda.
The Dr Eve Fesl First Nations Black Swans Award and the ANPA Heart of the Game Award will be presented for the first time on Saturday 30 November.
Here's all the key details about the new awards, what else will be presented and how you can follow along.
THE DR EVE FESL FIRST NATIONS BLACK SWANS AWARD
This award recognises a First Nations National Team player who throughout 2024 has demonstrated high standards of integrity and high-performance behaviours, as well as significant cultural leadership.
What’s the story behind the name?
The award is named after Dr Eve Fesl OAM, who was a respected Senior Elder of both the Gubbi Gubbi nation and the Gungulu nation.
A former Queensland representative netballer in the 1950s, she went on to become the first Indigenous Australian to receive a PhD from an Australian university in 1989.
She was an academic in sociolinguistic policy and implementation, specialising in First Nations languages. Dr Fesl also held an honours degree in anthropology as well as a graduate diploma in international law.
In 1986, she was awarded Scholar of the Year in the NAIDOC Awards and went on to receive a Member of the Order of Australia in 1988 and a Centenary Medal in 2001. In 2016, she received a United Nations Association of Australia award for her community work and achievements and was named in Victoria’s 1990 Achiever of the Year awards.
The award will be presented to one of the Black Swans athletes.Dr Fesl passed away in August 2023.
Naming the Black Swans award after Dr Fesl reflects Netball Australia’s commitment to highlighting the significant visibility, voice and value on the important contributions Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have made and continue to make to the sport.
The Black Swans embody a range of qualities including; uniqueness and a deep connection to this ancient land, loyalty, grace, strength, selflessness, and the ability to command and reciprocate respect and inclusivity. These traits align fittingly with Dr Fesl’s legacy as an Elder, sportswoman, trailblazer, and distinguished academic.
This year, the Confident Girls Foundation will sponsor the award.
THE ANPA HEART OF THE GAME AWARD
This award will recognise and celebrate a SSN player who embodies the spirit of the Australian Netball Association’s manifesto demonstrating exceptional commitment to netball, personal growth, community impact and positive influence.
The winner of the award will showcase netball as a platform for personal development, professional netball as a sisterhood and a movement for female empowerment as well as professional netballers as role models.
OTHER BIG AWARDS
SSN Player of the Year
Awarded to the league's most outstanding player.
SSN Team of the Year
This recognises the 10 most outstanding players throughout the season with one player named for each netball position plus three reserves, one from each area of the court.
SSN Rookie of the Year
Awarded to 2024’s best rookie player.
A range of awards will be presented throughout the night.Australian International Player of the Year
Presented to the most outstanding Australian international player in 2024.
Liz Ellis Diamond
This is the highest individual award in Australian netball recognising outstanding performances in both the SSN and International seasons in 2024.
Joyce Brown OAM Coach of the Year
Awarded to the most outstanding high-performance coach of the year.
Lorna McConchie Umpire of the Year
Recognises the most outstanding high-performance umpire of the year.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE AWARDS
You can follow the evening’s action as it unfolds via Netball Australia’s social media accounts with winners to be posted across Instagram, Facebook and X as they’re presented.
