Adelaide Thunderbirds head coach Tania Obst has added to her growing list of accolades, taking out the Suncorp Super Netball Coach of the Year award for 2024.
The South Australian local was recognised with the award at Netball Australia’s Awards Night after leading the Thunderbirds to their second-consecutive premiership.
Obst was instrumental in ending the Thunderbirds’ 10-year finals drought by leading the club to back-to-back premierships in the last two years.
Her work, alongside Assistant Coach Cathy Fellows, is responsible for producing one of the best defensive units in the world as well as molding the next generation of South Australian athletes.
Obst transitioned from player to coach in 1998, where she coached at Contax Netball Club, whilst also supporting South Australia’s 19/U and 21/9 State Teams.
Her knowledge of the game and ability to identify upcoming talent led to her appointment as Head Coach of Netball for the South Australian Sports Institute (SASI), where Obst held the role for 7 years.
She coached the Australian World Youth Cup side in Botswana in 2017, leading current Thunderbirds Hannah Petty and Matilda Garrett.
After years of developing local talent, Obst took to the international stage where she signed as an assistant coach for England Netball from 2017-2019.
During this time, she helped lead England to a Gold Medal at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games with a historic win over Australia.
Obst returned to South Australia in 2019 to become Head Coach of the Adelaide Thunderbirds in the Suncorp Super Netball Competition, where she has remained for the last five seasons.
Her devotion and commitment to the club has translated into two SSN premierships along with the 2024 Coach of the Year Award.
At the end of the 2024 season, the club was thrilled to extend Obst’s contract with the Thunderbirds to 2027, seeing her at the helm for another three years.
