QBE has partnered with the NSW Swifts and Netball NSW to establish the QBE Swifts Academy to help aspiring players fulfil their potential.

The Academy will provide an elite talent pathway via daily training and coaching excellence. Up to 20 promising athletes will join the inaugural season later this year.

QBE, which has partnered with the Swifts for more than 10 years, says the Academy offers a platform to boost professional participation in Australia’s most popular female sport. Netball boasts a 31% participation rate among Australian girls aged 12 to 14.

“As well as developing a strong pipeline of talent for the Swifts, initiatives like the Academy are an important way to expose more young athletes to playing and coaching excellence, boosting participation and providing a positive experience with benefits that will extend well beyond the court,” said QBE Australia Pacific CEO Vivek Bhatia.

Last year, QBE and AFL club Sydney established the Swans Youth Girls Academy to nurture promising female Australian Rules players aged 12-13. That program rapidly expanded, welcoming 220 budding young female footballers in 2019, including a new under-14s division.

Nikki Horton, NSW Swifts GM, said the netball equivalent would ensure the Swifts are fully equipped for a very competitive future.

“Elite sport is often about creating heroes and getting the next generation to emulate them and that will be one of the key goals of this venture,” she said.