The Adelaide Thunderbirds have extended Head Coach Tania Obst on a three-year deal that will see her lead the side until the end of 2027.
In the sixth year at the helm, Obst led the side to it’s second-consecutive premiership victory on the national stage.
The proud South Australian is now a two-time premiership coach in Super Netball and will continue to lead the side for at least another three seasons.
Netball SA CEO Bronwyn Klei said the organisation was delighted to extend Obst’s contract.
“Tania has had a clear vision for this club since signing on in 2019 and we have seen this come to life in recent seasons with premiership success in 2023 and 2024,” Ms Klei said.
“Her passion for South Australia and elevating its talent has seen many locals shine on the big stage alongside international stars who now call Adelaide home.
“We look forward to continuing to work together to ensure that the Adelaide Thunderbirds are a destination club for the world’s best players and administrators.”
Obst said she was proud to extend with the Thunderbirds and continue to strive for success for her home state of South Australia.
“I am so honoured to be a part of the Adelaide Thunderbirds and what we’ve achieved over the past few years,” Obst said.
“But as well as that I’m even more excited about where we can go next.
“To witness how the club has rediscovered itself as a powerhouse is a testament to not just our current playing group, but everyone behind the scenes too.
“I love the strengths and uniqueness everyone brings to our team, and our next big challenge is to continue to push on for sustained success.
“It’s a challenge I am up for again and I can’t wait to get started.”
A coaching journey: Obst’s rise to glory
Obst started her netball career playing for Garville Netball Club before moving to Contax Netball Club where she was involved in numerous premierships.
After retiring in 1998, she moved directly into a coaching role with Contax as well as guiding South Australia’s 19/U and 21/U state underage teams.
She spent 7 years as Head Coach of the South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) for Netball and was an assistant coach for the Thunderbirds from 2012-2014, helping to lead the side to a premiership in 2013.
Also during this time, she was appointed Netball Australia’s 21U head coach, leading the Australian side at the 2017 Netball World Youth Cup in Botswana.
From there, Obst looked further to the international stage, signing on as the Senior and Futures Coach for England Netball from 2017-2019. This included being the assistant coach of England’s historic Gold Medal victory at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
After 2 years as assistant coach for Giants Netball, Obst returned to South Australia in 2019 as head coach of the Thunderbirds.
In 2023, she became a premiership coach for the first time as her side were crowned Suncorp Super Netball Champions.
In 2024, she led her side to its second-consecutive Grand Final where they secured back-to-back Championships and Obst became a dual premiership coach.
