Our on-court efforts will be celebrated with our loyal Purple Family this Saturday at the annual Awards Gala Dinner where the 2023 Laura Geitz Medallist will be named.
This year witnessed many memorable moments on the court including Donnell Wallam’s record-breaking 71-point haul in our First Nations Round win over the Melbourne Vixens, Gabi Simpson becoming just the third Firebird to make 150 national league appearances for the club and the Firebirds debuts of Remi Kamo, Emily Moore, Ash Unie and Leesa Mi Mi.
Throughout the season the unwavering support of Firebirds fans ensured Nissan Arena was a sea of purple for home games, with over 25,000 fans flocking to the venue across our seven home matches including sell-outs against the Vixens and NSW Swifts in our two final home fixtures.
Our matchday experience has included the introduction of the hugely popular Birdcage, an innovative pre-match partner activation zone where over 3000 Firebirds tattoos were applied, over 2000 faces were painted and 10,000 team posters handed out.
From the Birdcage 3000 letters were distributed directly to players via AV Jennings’ Birdie Mail, allowing fans to communicate directly with their heroes.
Fans have also kept in touch away from the court on our social media channels with a following of over 164,500 helping Firebirds’ videos to receive a staggering 11.5 million views while our team website – delivering all the latest news and views on all things Firebirds – has experienced a 12 per cent increase in views in 2023, with an impressive total of 210,406 interactions.
The Firebirds are also thankful for the continued support of its partners, which include new partners in Containers for Change and Betta Home Living, while a collaboration with our energy partner, Origin and Stadiums Queensland allowed us to install four Electric Vehicle charging stations at Nissan Arena, a first for Stadiums Queensland facilities.
Thanks to the support of Suncorp and Aurizon, the Firebirds are embarking on a series of regional tours, visiting Goondiwindi, Warwick, Innisfail, Mareeba, Cairns, Townsville, Gladstone, and Sarina and getting the chance to connect with fans across the state.
A particular highlight of our season was also the successful auction of the team’s First Nations dresses, which raised over $6000 for Netball Queensland’s Diamond Spirit program, and our participation in Suncorp Super Netball’s inaugural Inclusion Round with our Pride Match against Collingwood in Round 4.
“The 2023 season has been a massive one for the entire team on and off the court,” Head Coach Bec Bulley said.
“Throughout the year the entire squad has grown and developed highlighted by winning three of our matches in the second half of the campaign.
“The support of our Purple Family – our fans, members and partners – has been a crucial part to foster this growth, with Nissan Arena acting like our eighth player on gamedays in an atmosphere the group simply loves to play in front of.
“We thank you all for your support and can’t wait to see you again as we look to push on further in 2024.”
