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Melbourne Mavericks

Melbourne Mavericks
Founded2023
Based inGlen Waverley, Victoria
RegionsCity of Melbourne
Home venueJohn Cain Arena[1]
MyState Bank Arena
Head coachTracey Neville
CaptainAmy Parmenter
PremiershipsNil
LeagueSuper Netball
2025 placing7th

Melbourne Mavericks is an Australian professional netball team who have competed in Super Netball since the 2024 season. The club is operated by the Sports Entertainment Group (SEG) and is based at the Waverley Netball Centre in Glen Waverley, Victoria.

The Mavericks hold the SSN license made vacant by the Collingwood Magpies, who folded and withdrew from the league at the conclusion of the 2023 season.[2]

History

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Following the demise of the Collingwood Magpies, speculation circled as to who would be awarded the eighth license for the 2024 Super Netball season and beyond. Submissions for the new license closed on 20 June 2023, with as many as six initial bids being whittled down to two by the closing date, according to media reports.[3]

On 21 July 2023, the league announced that the Sports Entertainment Group (SEG), led by chief executive Craig Hutchison, was awarded the license for a team to be based in south-east Melbourne. As part of the licensing agreement, Netball Australia will operate the team for the rest of 2023 before transitioning to SEG for 2024 and beyond.[4] ABC News reported that the SEG bid was preferred by broadcasters Fox Netball over the alternate bid put forward by Netball Victoria, which suggested a regional team 'floating' between Geelong, Bendigo or Ballarat.[3]

On 2 August 2023, decorated English netball coach Tracey Neville was announced as the inaugural head coach of the then-unnamed Mavericks.[5]

In their debut season, Neville guided Mavericks to a fifth place finish, just missing out on the finals on goal average.[6] This was despite Lauren Moore and Sasha Glasgow suffering season ending injuries before round one.[7]

The Mavericks played one home game each season in 2024 and 2025 at the Derwent Entertainment Centre in Hobart, Tasmania.[8][9]

Location

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The team was initially announced as being representative of 'south-east Melbourne' without a specific location named. In October 2023, SEG confirmed that the club's administration and training base would be located at the Waverley Netball Centre in Glen Waverley, Victoria.[10]

Identity

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Mavericks mascot "Goose" is a unicorn with sparkly pink hair

The identity of the Mavericks was officially announced by netball operations general manager Shae Bolton-Brown on 20 September 2023, with the club's name, logo and primary colours—sky blue, 'pacific cyan' and sapphire—revealed after months of speculation.[11]

Current Players

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2025 Melbourne Mavericks roster
Players Coaching staff
Nat. Name Position(s) DoB Height
Australia Kim Brown GD, GK (1998-02-27) 27 February 1998 (age 27) 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
England Eleanor Cardwell GS, GA (1994-11-11) 11 November 1994 (age 30) 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Australia Tayla Fraser C, WD, WA (1999-06-13) 13 June 1999 (age 26) 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
England Sasha Glasgow GA, GS (1998-07-19) 19 July 1998 (age 27) 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Australia Jessie Grenvold GD, GK (2003-04-26) 26 April 2003 (age 22) 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Jamaica Shimona Jok GS (1998-12-01) 1 December 1998 (age 26) 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)
Australia Molly Jovic C, WA (1995-10-07) 7 October 1995 (age 29) 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Australia Olivia Lewis GK, GD (1999-04-29) 29 April 1999 (age 26) 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Australia Maisie Nankivell C, WD, WA (1999-09-29) 29 September 1999 (age 25) 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Australia Lauren Parkinson GD, GK, WD (1998-01-30) 30 January 1998 (age 27) 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Australia Amy Parmenter (c) WD, C (1997-08-01) 1 August 1997 (age 28) 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Head coach
Assistant coaches


Notes
  • (c) – Captain
  • (cc) – Co-captain
  • (vc) – Vice-captain
  • Injured or on maternity leave – Injury / maternity leave
  • (TRP) – Temporary Replacement Player
Player profiles: Team website Last updated: 24 April 2025

Internationals

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 England

 South Africa

 Australia

Head Coaches

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Coach Years
Tracey Neville 2024–2025

References

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  1. ^ "MELBOURNE MAVERICKS TO CALL JOHN CAIN ARENA HOME". SEN. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  2. ^ "'Incredibly difficult': AFL giants quit Super Netball". wwos.nine.com.au. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
  3. ^ a b Carter, Brittany (2023-07-21). "Craig Hutchison wins bid for eighth Super Netball team". ABC News. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  4. ^ "Eighth Licence Awarded". Super Netball. 2023-07-21. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  5. ^ "Decorated coach to lead newest team". Super Netball. 2023-08-02. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  6. ^ "2024 season review: Mavericks". netball.com.au. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  7. ^ "Mavericks on managing their emotions". netball.com.au. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  8. ^ "Netball Tasmania lock in deal to bring Melbourne Mavericks for SSN games". The Mercury. 13 March 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  9. ^ "Tassie remains happy hunting ground for Mavs". Melbourne Mavericks. 18 May 2025. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  10. ^ "Mavericks confirm new home at Waverley Netball Centre". Sports Entertainment Network. 2023-10-20. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  11. ^ "SEN unveils the Melbourne Mavericks - a game-changing new netball brand". Sports Entertainment Network. 2023-09-20. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  1. https://wwos.nine.com.au/netball/super-netball-2023-collingwood-confirm-withdrawal-conclusion-of-season/4cbb8c47-770e-4782-a702-ceb8af38e140 Retrieved 2023-05-25.
  2. ^ a b Carter, Brittany (2023-07-21). "Craig Hutchison wins bid for eighth Super Netball team". ABC News. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  3. ^ "Eighth Licence Awarded". Super Netball. 2023-07-21. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  4. ^ "Decorated coach to lead newest team". Super Netball. 2023-08-02. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  5. ^ "Mavericks confirm new home at Waverley Netball Centre". Sports Entertainment Network. 2023-10-20. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  6. ^ "SEN unveils the Melbourne Mavericks - a game-changing new netball brand". Sports Entertainment Network. 2023-09-20. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
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