Julie Hibberd has been appointed coach of the NFNL’s open netball representative team for the 2018 season.
The Ivanhoe coach will lead the NFNL in its representative matches against the Eastern Football League at Knox Regional Netball Centre on Friday May 18 and the Association Championships at the State Netball and Hockey Centre on Sunday June 17.
Sharon Ashworth will continue as coach of the under-19 netball team, while Jacinta Tonkin will again serve as an assistant to both NFNL squads.
A founding member of Ivanhoe Netball Club in 2009, Hibberd brings 17 years coaching experience to the position.
She has served as Director of Coaching at Ivanhoe for the past decade and has had great success as coach of Ivanhoe Grammar, where she led teams to three successive APS/AGSV premierships from 2014 to 2016.
Hibberd told NFNL.org.au she was thrilled to lead the NFNL’s representative program in 2018.
“It’s quite an honour, of course,” Hibberd said.
“Brooke George has done an amazing job and there are some big shoes to fill.
“Hopefully I can come in and bring my own spin to the team and hopefully continue the success we have had.
“There’s obviously a really good rivalry building against Eastern so we need to ensure that everyone is really at their best to get over them again, that’s for sure.”
Trials for the NFNL’s netball teams will be held on Sunday March 25 and Sunday April 15 from 4:30pm to 6:00pm at RMIT Bundoora Court 1.
Hibberd encouraged all players to trial to ensure the NFNL could assemble the best squad possible as it looks to continue its unbeaten status at representative level.
“I encourage everybody to turn up to trials and to have a go and just do the best that you can,” she said.
“A lot of players think ‘I won’t get in’ and don’t trial. It’s about getting out there and having a crack.
“You never know, you might turn up with the goods and those who turn up and are generally a walk-in start, might not be a walk-in anymore.”
Hibberd takes the top job from Diamond Creek’s Brooke George, who was unable to commit to the representative program this year.
The NFNL thanks Brooke for her dedication to the netball representative program over the past three seasons.
Please click here to register your details for the 2018 NFNL representative netball try-outs. Please note: only NFNL registered players are eligible to try-out for the NFNL’s representative squads.
