Melbourne Vixens

Vixens appoint coach

The Melbourne Vixens will have a familiar face at the helm next season, following the appointment
of former assistant coach and Australian netball legend Simone McKinnis to Head Coach for the next two years.

Netball Victoria Chief Executive Officer, Michelle Plane said McKinnis brings a ‘wonderful set of skills, a wealth of experience and fresh ideas’ to the club.

“In Simone’s first season as the Melbourne Vixens assistant coach, she has demonstrated her exceptional coaching skills and developed great relationships with the athletes and netball community.

We are very fortunate to have someone of such a high calibre who has an outstanding ability both as a player and coach, and is widely respected.

We look forward to seeing her and the new Vixens line-up come together over the coming months, and are confident that she will lead and build our team and our culture to drive success not only next year but into the future,” Plane said.

Simone McKinnis said she is ‘very excited’ to be coaching the Vixens again next season, after spending the 2012 season as the specialist defence coach.

“I’ve really enjoyed my time in the Vixens program this season and looking forward to starting my new coaching role. The team is shaping up well and I’m excited at the prospect of working with such a talented group of athletes. With our fantastic support staff, I’m very much looking forward to really getting the best out of each athlete. My focus now is planning and preparing for a strong preseason to set the players up with a good foundation for the 2013 season,” McKinnis said.  

Anne Marie Harrison, Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Institute of Sport who provide the
daily training environment for the Vixens, congratulated McKinnis on her appointment.

“As a past athlete scholarship holder and more recently specialist coach, Simone is well placed to utilise all that the Institute can provide to enhance the performance of every player in the program and the Vixens as a team. We are delighted to welcome Simone back to the VIS as part of our coaching team," Harrison said.

McKinnis, a former wing defence who was born and raised in Victoria, boasts a long list of credentials both as a player and coach. She represented Australia in 63 tests between 1986 and 1998 winning a Commonwealth Games gold medal in 1998 and World Championships in 1991 and 1995. She was also captain of the Melbourne Phoenix in 1997 and 1998, including the Premiership winning team in 1997.

Mckinnis’ most recent coaching role was at the Australian Institute of Sport from 2007-2010, where she led the Australian 21/U team to victory at the 2009 World Youth Netball Championships. She was also the head coach of Tanzania during 2010, assistant coach of her old team, the Melbourne Phoenix, and spent three years as head coach of the Singapore Sports Netball Academy from 2003 until 2006.