Melbourne Mavericks’ inaugural head coach, Tracey Neville, has informed the club she won’t be seeking to renew her contract with the team in 2026.
The highly-respected Neville, a Commonwealth Games gold medal winning coach with England, led the club to 10 wins over the first two seasons of the Mavericks.
SEN Teams CEO, Richard Simkiss, said the club respected Neville’s decision and paid tribute to the impact of her first two seasons.
“Tracey has put the team first since day one, and built an amazing foundation for the Mavericks future,” Simkiss said.
“Building a club from the ground up is an extraordinary task, and Tracey has been single-minded in shaping a legacy for the Mavs to build upon.
“We are sad to see Tracey leave but respect her decision, and she’ll always be a Maverick.
“We wish her every success in whatever she chooses next, knowing that her contribution to netball will live on in whatever path she takes.
“We can’t thank her enough for her contribution.”
Neville said the time was right.
“It has been a whirlwind two years and I’ve really enjoyed establishing this program from then ground up and setting it up for the years ahead."
“I feel like we’ve crammed a decade’s worth of work into just two years, and I am so proud of how far we’ve come and the platform we’ve put in place for the future.
“I’ve done everything I can to establish the foundation at this club but after long discussions with the franchise, it became apparent it was the right time for me to move on.
“Working with this group of players and high performance staff has been amongst the highlights of my career. I couldn’t have asked for a more committed group.
“I’ve loved my time here and look forward to seeing the club flourish in the years ahead.”
Neville will return to the United Kingdom this week as planned, after the conclusion of the Mavericks post-season interviews.
The Mavericks will commence the search for a new head coach imminently.
