Netball NSW is delighted to announce that Sallianne Faulkner has been elected as Chairperson of the organisation for a two-year term.
Faulkner, who has been on the NNSW Board of Directors since March 2021, takes over from Louise Sullivan who has served in the position for the past five years and whose term came to an end at the first Board Meeting held after the Annual General Meeting, held on Tuesday 21st March 2023.
The Chairperson (also known as the President of the Company) is elected in accordance with Clause 16 of the Netball NSW Constitution.
The NNSW Board of Directors voted on Tuesday night to elect Faulkner as the new Chair. Sullivan will remain on the NNSW Board as a Director until the end of her current Director term at the 2024 AGM and did not seek re-election to the Chair position consistent with the Board's succession strategy.
A former President of Ramsgate Netball Club and Treasurer of the St George Netball Association, Faulkner has served as Vice President of the St George District Cricket Club and is the current President of the Ramsgate RSL Club.
She is the General Manager of the Bayside Women’s Shelter, a local charity responding to women in crisis in South East Sydney, and currently the Acting CEO of ClubsNSW where she has served as Deputy Chairperson since 2019.
Also on Saturday, current Director Vincent De Luca OAM was re-elected for another term which will conclude at the March 2026 AGM, while first-time Director Jennie Thompson (a former President of the Hills District Netball Association) was elected for a first term which will also conclude in March 2026.
Netball NSW would like to thank outgoing Director Catherine Matthews who decided not to seek re-election for another term.
Faulkner said it was an honour to hold such a position in a pillar of the NSW sporting landscape.
“I have loved netball all of my life and always had the greatest admiration for the positive impact the game has across all sections of society across NSW,” she said.
“Not only is netball the leader for community and high-performance sport when it comes to women and girls, it is also one of the few sports that has strong participation in every community in both metro and regional areas.
“We have grassroots that are the envy of many and the best professional female team-sports league in the world that includes outstanding role models.
“It is time to amplify our sport to increase participation and inclusion and carve out further our rightful place in the NSW sport scene as a major code.
“Netball builds strong communities in NSW and teaches leadership and teamwork at its core.
“I would like to thank Louise for guiding the organisation through the torrid COVID-19 years and for her strong leadership through a period of tremendous change for our sport at all levels. I look forward to working closely with her and my fellow Directors over the coming years.
“I congratulate Vincent on his re-election and welcome Jennie to the Board of Directors for the first time, while I would also like to thank Catherine Matthews for her service to the game in her time as a Netball NSW Director.”
