Plummer Named Fever Coach for 2012 Season
Netball WA announced today their first new signing for the 2012 ANZ Championship season with current Australian Coach Norma Plummer to take on the role of Head Coach of the West Coast Fever.
Plummer has signed a two year contract and will commence in September. Netball WA President, Robert Shaw announced the appointment to staff and players this morning and said that Plummer would bring energy, unparalleled expertise and an expectation of excellence not just to the Fever but to netball throughout Western Australia.
“Norma’s coaching ability and record is really second to none and we think her appointment is an
enormous coup for netball in WA,” Mr Shaw said.
“Norma is truly a coaching icon in Australia. She has a demonstrated record of success in every coaching role she has undertaken and we look forward to her having a similar positive impact in WA.”
Recently selected Australian representatives and Western Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holders, Susan Fuhrmann and Caitlin Bassett were equally positive about the appointment.
“Since being involved in the National program, every single time I have gone into camp with Norma or played a game for Australia under her direction, I have learnt something new and developed my game further”, commented Fuhrmann. “With Norma, you know what to expect – she has high expectations and is hard but fair. She gives you the skills to achieve the success that she demands.”
Bassett said it was the second piece of fantastic news she had received this week. “Being selected for Australia is amazing and something I have been working hard to achieve all year, but this piece of news is the cherry on top. This is an opportunity to learn from the best week in, week out.”
“One thing is for sure, this is going to be a very exciting time for the Fever,” said Bassett.
Plummer herself said that she had been looking for a new challenge and coaching in the ANZ
Championship was one she relished.
“While the ANZ Championship is a fantastic competition and sets the standard across the world, it has limited my time with the National athletes in the past few years so I am champing at the bit to get more hands on with a group of players again. I intend to set the highest standards for them and together we can go to exceptional levels of performance,” said Plummer.
“I also want to work with Netball WA to set up structures in Western Australia to mentor and develop not just the current players but to produce world class players and coaches in the future. I believe I can make a major contribution to how the game develops in WA.”
Plummer said that her immediate priority would be to guide Australia to a gold medal at the upcoming Word Championships in Singapore in July, and is looking forward to relocating to Perth later in the year.
– Netball WA