Netball NSW is delighted to announce that highly respected sports administrator Tracey Scott has been appointed as the organisation’s new Chief Executive Officer.
An internal appointment, Scott is currently employed by Netball NSW (NNSW) as Executive General Manager of the NSW Swifts and has a fine track record across a range of sports at both Executive and Board levels.
She takes over from interim CEO Andrew Jones who departs to take up the CEO role at Racing Victoria.
Before joining the Swifts, Scott previously held senior roles at Cricket Australia (CA) and Football Australia and also has a strong background in all aspects of the sporting pyramid having been a player, coach and administrator in various roles from the grassroots to the elite.
Growing up in regional Western Australia and having first-hand experience at the critical role sport plays in regional and metropolitan communities, Scott represented the State in hockey at U18 and U21 levels and later coached the game in the Victorian junior pathways and competitions, as well as being actively involved in her local hockey club.
Scott has a Masters of Law (with a focus on sport) from Melbourne University and over a nine-year period served as a Director on the Boards of both Hockey Victoria and Hockey Australia. Most recently in 2021 she was invited as a Panel Member to the National Sports Tribunal.
In football she served as Deputy Commissioner of the A-Leagues, overseeing the delivery of professional Men’s and Women’s competitions and working closely with the clubs, broadcast partners and the Players Association.
During her time in football, she was selected as the Professional Game Representative to join FIFA's inaugural Professional Women's Football Taskforce, comprised of 10 representatives worldwide.
Prior to her time in football, Scott spent seven years with CA working primarily as their Senior Legal Counsel to support all facets of the business, but with a strong focus on broadcast, high-performance, participation and player relations.
Since joining the Swifts, Scott has overseen the successful delivery of the Premiers’ 2022 Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) campaign – the Club’s first full home-and-away season since 2019.
In 2022 the Swifts led the league with the highest average attendance of any SSN side and, despite a host of injury and COVID disruptions, only just missed out on a fourth consecutive Finals appearance by goal percentage.
NNSW President Louise Sullivan congratulated Scott on her appointment.
“On behalf of the Board I would like to congratulate Tracey on her elevation to our Chief Executive Officer role after a rigorous and thorough recruitment process,” Sullivan said.
“Tracey comes from a small country town and possesses a genuine understanding of the struggles faced by regional athletes aspiring to play at state level and be provided with access to sporting opportunities.
“Both her life and professional experiences have given her a unique insight into how sport works at both ends, and that is a real asset for us.
“Tracey has been quick to make her mark on the organisation since taking over at the NSW Swifts and really impressed us with her vision for the game at both elite and grassroots levels.
“Her time at the Swifts has given her a real overview into how our high-performance systems work, while events such as the recent Senior State Titles have demonstrated to her how vast the game’s reach is.
“Importantly, only cricket and football have grassroots numbers that compare to netball’s, and Tracey has a wealth of experience in those codes.
“While the game’s national body is facing a number of well publicised challenges, NNSW is in a strong position and the Board is excited to work with Tracey to continue the advancement of our game in all areas.
“On behalf of the Board I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Andrew for his contribution over the past three months. His expertise has been invaluable and we wish him all the best in his new role at Racing Victoria.”
Scott is both honoured and excited by her elevation.
“Since joining the wider NNSW family via the Swifts I have seen first-hand the amazing people involved in the game, and the delivery of a world-class product,” she said.
“Both the NSW Swifts and GIANTS boast some of the best athletes in the world and the netball high-performance system is head and shoulders the clear leader for women in Australian sport, if not world sport.
“None of that is possible, however, without the community game which remains our backbone and key foundation. I feel netball has only scratched the surface of its potential and I am excited for what is ahead for the game.
“The good news is all the ingredients are there and, after two years of COVID disruption, we have so much promise ahead. I cannot wait to work together with our entire netball family to bring to life the next phase of evolution for netball in NSW.”
Former NNSW and Swifts executive Kath Tetley will join seven-time Premiers as interim Executive General Manager while Scott transitions to the CEO role.
