An exclusive with CEO Catherine Clark
I stepped off the plane last night from Adelaide into a wall of wet heat. “Yep, I’m home” I thought as the moisture in the air gave me that familiar Queensland humidity hug. Adelaide was hot but it was dry. I’ve done long stints overseas and I have come to love and cherish the sense of arrival back into Queensland. Being away made me appreciate what we have here and what Queensland means to me. Everyday this feeling drives me to do my best in service of netball across Queensland. Last season taught me just how deep this feeling goes, how it unites us, right through the Queensland Firebirds Club.
For all our preparation and efforts, the 2019 season was brutal and didn’t go to plan. It felt like 6 months in the ring with Jeff Horn. I wrote you a letter in the midst of the brawl, asking you to stand with us. And stand you did. Standing together, our Club showed incredible heart, perseverance and loyalty. We showed the traits Queenslanders are renowned for during adversity. Our whole Club – fans, players and staff – pulled together tighter than ever. Queensland does that, especially in the rough times. It was a really emotional thing, to feel that support. On behalf of everyone at our Club, I cannot thank you enough. I wanted to write to ‘close off’ on 2019, with you the heart of the Firebirds. A job that’s mine because ultimately the buck stops with me.
The best way of honouring our fans was to undertake an intense review of the Queensland Firebirds program. And that is exactly what we did in October/November 2019. It’s possible to get sucked into the emotion that we let everyone down, to blame the injuries or to let our amazing Club spirit distract us. That’s not going to honour the loyalty you’ve shown. What lets people down is if you fail to find out why it didn’t go to plan, fail to honestly assess if the plan was the right one in the first place, what worked/didn’t work and squeeze every ounce of learning out of the pain. Most importantly, we have to make the tough calls. Because we do not want to be there again. Ever.
Injuries. Inconsistency. Yielding in the clutch moments [in which we once triumphed]. These are common descriptions of last season. Playing great netball for most of the game won’t win championships. Yielding in the clutch moments won’t cut it. The competition is so tight. What we do take out of 2019, is how we showed grit and we showed heart. I’m proud we never stopped fighting and I know these traits are crucial in our return to dominance. Playing our best game in the last match against the NSW Swifts confirmed we had it in us, but we failed to execute consistently. We are used to emerging triumphant from nail-biting battles, but not in 2019. The reality is that champions will stumble too at some stage, but it’s how they respond to failure that sets them apart. The Queensland Firebirds have form in this respect.
The 2010 season was disappointing. We sat at the table and looked hard at ourselves and the bare trophy cabinet. Roselee led her team through a brutally honest process in preparing for 2011. Champions convert failure into fuel, they use it, and harvested well it’s the fuel you need to rise. If you recall in 2011, the team made like a phoenix and rose from the ashes. Failure was converted into a fuel that ignited a heart of fire in every player. It burned so hot that we won every single game in 2011. Every game. Incredible. The Firebirds went on to contest five Grand Finals and win three Championship trophies in the next six years.
This kind of turnaround and enduring success requires courage, honesty, hard decisions, not to mention talent, skill and strategy. Champions convert failure into fuel. But naturally, the conversion process is uncomfortable.
Dial it forward to 2019, and we knew this was the moment for some very brave, honest conversations and some hard decisions. We did our independent review. We analysed everything from leadership to the performance environment, from coaching, culture and player contracting. We implemented an action plan based on the recommendations and we had to make some really difficult decisions. High performance sport demands nothing less. The process has also created some exciting opportunities. I want you to know we have held nothing back in our review and we have a plan for the next three years. Now it is time to focus all of our energy, not on going over the past, but on building the future.
Season 2020
Our Head Coach Roselee Jencke notched up 10 years at the helm in 2019 and she will coach her 11th season for the Queensland Firebirds in 2020. She will be joined by a new face in Katie Walker and familiar faces Jenny Brazel and Clare Ferguson.
We are delighted to have Katie on board as our Assistant Coach. Katie is a Queenslander and knows exactly what it means to wear the purple dress. As a past player, Katie has walked the path herself. She is an inspirational mentor to our young players, leading by example on and off the court.
Jenny Brazel will continue with the Firebirds as a Specialist Coach giving her the time to be the Head Coach of the Queensland Fusion and Elite Development Program. Jenny will create a critical and seamless bridge for preparing our talented young Queensland netballers for the stepping into SSN.
Lastly, we are thrilled to have Queensland Firebird and Australian Diamond Clare Ferguson joining the coaching team this year. As one of the greatest netballers to wear the purple - and the green and gold - Clare needs no introduction. I can think of few better to role model what it means to be a Queensland Firebird than Clare.
We are thrilled to be welcoming home our beloved Brynley Abad. In 2014-2015 Brynley oversaw our strength and conditioning program, a time when the Queensland Firebirds had the lowest injury rate of any club in the ANZ Championship. Bryn rejoins the Club as Head of Performance and will provide world-class leadership to our physical performance in the Queensland Firebirds and Fusion programs.
For additional information about the team behind the team, CLICK HERE
The review reminded us we must always preserve our core and at the same time never stop evolving. Things are changing in netball. Fast. We needed to stop and reflect on the fact our Club has gone through huge changes these past few years. Some things are different, but we are Queensland and that never changes. We are parochial because we live in the greatest place on earth. Queensland is more than the place we live, it’s a spirit, and it’s the way we play the game. It’s different, like Grets and her lay ups, and that’s just how we like it. We are humble, we value loyalty, toughness and our rebel spirit (especially where southern states are involved). This is our DNA and it has shaped our organisation for over 50 years. Sometimes you just need to return to your roots. When the waves are smashing you, it’s your roots that matter most. The deeper the better.
When I wrote to you last year, I was being told Queenslanders were fickle and would abandon our Club. They can say what they want, the research shows what we felt – just how amazing you are. Queensland Firebird fans are the most emotionally connected of all Netball teams. Yep, in a year where we won only a single game, we finished in top spot with fans and supporters. That speaks volumes about our fans. I didn’t need the data to tell me that Queenslanders don’t run, we dig in. Queenslanders don’t abandon the ship when the sea gets rough. I reckon that’s exactly when we shine. Our court-side team [you] shone in 2019 and we love you for it.
We will leave it all on court this year as we attempt to honour you, the Heart of the Firebirds. We cannot wait to start Season 2020. I look forward to seeing you soon.
Yours in Netball,
Catherine Clark - CEO
