Netball Singapore appoints Australian Tara Steel as national head coach and technical director

SINGAPORE – Since arriving in Singapore about a fortnight ago, new national netball coach Tara Steel’s schedule has been filled with meetings and matches as she seeks to gain a deep understanding of the local scene.

The 39-year-old Australian, who will also serve as Netball Singapore’s technical director, has been appointed on a two-year contract starting from March 2025.

She succeeds New Zealander Annette Bishop, who stepped down from the role in September 2024 for personal reasons after nearly five years.

Steel said the job appealed to her because of her passion in developing not just the opens squad, but also youth and coaches.

“The Singapore opportunity presented a really nice role that captured all of that, that I thought would be a nice fit for all my skills, but also a good challenge for me,” she added.

She grew up playing netball, representing the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) at the national championships, but quit at 27 to focus full time on coaching.

Since then, she has coached within the ACT and Netball Australia pathways, most recently serving as the Canberra Netball Association Division 1 team’s head coach.

She has also overseen the Under-19 and U-17 ACT state teams at the national championships, and was assistant coach of the Canberra Giants in Australia’s Super Netball League.

Netball Singapore president Trina Liang said Steel’s “extensive experience in both coaching and leadership will be invaluable” as they eye greater heights and prepare for the SEA Games in December.

“We believe she is the right person to build on the strong foundation set by her predecessors,” Liang added.

Steel was looking for the next step in her coaching career, when former Australia national coach Jill McIntosh told her about the opportunity in Singapore.

McIntosh, 69, was a consultant coach alongside interim head coach