NS EXCLUSIVE: Briony Akle’s beautiful mind.

A warm exterior. Brings the Aussie hard-nosed approach. Ruthless. Successful and experienced.

The descriptors raise a chuckle from NSW Swifts head coach Briony Akle, who takes them as quite the compliment coming from legendary Silver Ferns’ mentor Dame Noeline Taurua.

“When someone else explains what they see you as, I go, ‘Wow, okay!’

“I feel like having the light and shade within your own personality, being able to nurture while leading, having a sense of purpose while still staying true to yourself, is a juggle.

“The hard-nosed part is, ‘Game on.’ As soon as we step onto a netball court, we’re there to win.

“But overall, the person is the most important part of the athlete.

“As a coach, merging the two is the real challenge.”

While it’s a difficult feat, Akle has honed the balancing act beautifully, leading to personal and team success. Under her reign the Swifts have taken out two Super Netball titles and been minor premiers for a third, while she was most recently head-hunted as specialist coach for New Zealand, who finished 2024 with a Constellation Cup series win.

And while she has the steely core every coach needs, it’s Akle’s down to earth charm that makes her so mesmerising. When she speaks people listen, and where she leads, they follow. It’s not a privilege she takes lightly, however.

“That skill of leadership, decision making and having a voice – being able to lead a group of women that you can influence and have a legacy on is the exciting part of coaching.

“Not all athletes are the same, so it’s being able to develop the individuals in a different style while bringing out their qualities in authentic ways. That’s very important to me.

Akle has the ears of her athletes. Image May Bailey/Clusterpix Sports Photography

Tough finding opportunities at the top

For high performance coaches in Australia, career options are limited. The Diamonds and eight Super Netball teams employ just two to three coaches each, leading some of our brightest minds to head overseas for more opportunities. Few are ever invited into New Zealand’s inner sanctum, given the ever-present rivalry between the world’s top two ranked netball teams.

So Akle, approached to take on the role of specialist coach with the Silver Ferns mid 2024, thought long and hard before she agreed. She said, “I did speak to Paigey (Hadley) and Sarah (Klau) about it, because I’m always in their corner and ready to chat through anything that will help them.

“I knew my number one job in Suncorp Super Netball was to make them better, keep them in that Diamonds’ position, as well as growing future Diamonds. That will never change for me.

“But I also knew that saying no to the opportunity for my growth wouldn’t be beneficial. Being asked to work with Noels was a pinch-me moment.

“We think very similarly about the game, and I was drawn to working with a different style of athlete.

“And for my own development, there’s only so far you can go, and then where do you get that experience from?

You need to put yourself out there.”

In sharing their expertise, Australians have helped shake up a netball world order that they and New Zealand have always dominated. And while that’s exciting for fans, and good for the sport’s growth, how does it feel for Akle to further her own career while coaching against her country of birth?

“It’s how you frame it,” she explained. “We all want to grow the game of netball, and get it to the next level.

“We have to start thinking outside the square about what we traditionally do. While some might think the look (of coaching against Australia) isn’t great, it’s a wonderful opportunity to be able to connect within netball in general.

“Take out the competition phase – it’s about skill sets, learning from other people and different styles. What else can we as coaches do? What can we be doing better?

“Being brave enough to do it, and backing in your gut feeling around the benefits, is the key.”

Briony Akle working with Tonga as their assistant coach during the 2023 Netball World Cup.
Image – Danny Dalton | Tah Dah Sports

Working with the opposition

In a question that she’s asked often, Akle doesn’t believe her role at the Silver Ferns is giving away Australian secrets. She said, “Their systems, structures and processes are unlike ours, so the targeted individual isn’t their style.

“They are all about unity in defence and working together, no matter what combination they come up against.

“So it’s of little value to them knowing what a certain player will do or where she will run.

“The systems they’ve grown up with are very, very different. My role in the Silver Ferns is to facilitate the attack end and how to beat a side playing one on one defence.”

Akle proved her worth in the most recent Constellation Cup series. While matches between the two sides are usually decided by just a handful of goals, New Zealand fired with some of the best attacking and defensive play ever seen against Australia. The result – double digit wins in three of the four games.

It was a significant turn around – the Silver Ferns had been struggling for some time, losing their previous series against a developing English side, and slumping to their worst ever World Cup finish in 2023.

“There was a lot of hard work that went into that Constellation Cup, after the Silver Ferns hadn’t been producing what they wanted to. Being able to see them finally put those hard yakka training sessions together – it was great being able to watch them play such beautiful netball.

“We had a real sense of achievement that we’d been able to tick off the style of netball they wanted to produce, and they did it well.”

Briony Akle has built a strong connection with Dame Noeline Taurua and New Zealand’s Silver Ferns, Image Aliesha Vicars

Pathway to the top

Being a professional coach wasn’t on Akle’s radar when she coached her first team as a 15 year old. However, it didn’t take long for an enjoyable way to earn pocket money to become a serious passion.

“The more I went along, the more I loved it, and loved the challenge of it. So I did the courses in the pathway. Took small steps and put myself forwards for different opportunities. Put my hand up for state teams, went through the interview processes and got the jobs.

“Each opportunity I put myself out there for, led me to the next thing, so it never started out as being a career that I had in mind.”

In her younger years, Akle used to envy the male sporting codes with their full time contracts. “I’d go from my day job in a rugby league club, then coach from 7.30 to 9.30pm. In netball, I used to watch Julie Fitzgerald juggle her family, her work and coaching as well. She really led the way in knowing that you could do it all, before the sport evolved to the point it is now.”

Akle had a lengthy playing career with the Swifts, and took over their top job in 2017 after coaching in NSW pathways. Just 40 at the time, Akle said she’s grown up alongside her athletes. “I probably came in thinking I had to be the traditional coach in terms of ‘my way or the highway’, but my players have taught me to coach differently.

“You have to be able to adapt to them. All generations are different, and as you get a little bit older you also become wiser and can see the benefit of being able to be flexible with your coaching.”

One of Akle’s greatest strengths is getting to know her athletes as people first and foremost, celebrating their successes and standing firmly with them against adversity.

“It is challenging knowing that there are 14 individuals that come to training, and not everyone has the best day on the same day,” she said.

“So being able to handle that, while understanding what the ultimate purpose is – winning a premiership – but in a way that brings everyone along on the ride.

“If you genuinely know them, you know exactly when to step into that space and when to back off a little bit.

When to push them a bit harder and question a bit more as to why they’ve turned up that day.

“So no matter what’s happened in their private life, if they are playing well or struggling, still being able to motivate them.

“If you have a rough season like we did last year, finding their purpose or the good in the bad, can be really difficult, but you have the tools to do it.”

Briony Akle connecting with one of her younger team members, Sophie Fawns. Image May Bailey/Clusterpix Sports Photography

‘Keep leading’

As high performance coaches climb their career pathways, finding ways to upskill their knowledge can become difficult. Former mentors have become the opposition, while learning has to be more self-directed, needing flexibility and imagination.

“You can’t share as much with people you used to talk to. So I like to have a connection with other sports, and surround myself in all areas.

“When you have court sessions four or five times a week, the athletes expect you to turn up and they want to continue to learn from you. Finding ways to do that is a challenge. If I’m observing someone else’s training session I can think, ‘Well, I don’t do that very well!’

“Constantly wanting to be better is the key, and you have to be.”

Which is just one of many reasons why Akle’s bond with Dame Noeline is invaluable. She’s not a Super Netball rival, and so the pair can call each other to talk all things coaching.

“Having that relationship with her, I can say, ‘Have you ever been through this, and what do I do?’

“One of the biggest pieces of advice she’s given me, is that a coach has to keep leading.

That players are looking to you, and no matter what happens, you can’t run away from it.

“’So you are, ‘You’re right. This is it – I’m on!’”

Akle has the invaluable support of her high performance team at the Swifts, while her husband lends another perspective. She explained, “I tend to bring things home.

“Sark gives a different sense of rationale and that’s what you need in a high pressure environment –

the ability to step back and realise it’s either not that bad,

or it’s bad, but you still have to lead through it.”

Not that work always takes precedence. With a family business to help run, and four children at home, Akle is still learning to switch off netball. “I’ll be coming up with ideas while I’m listening to podcasts, cooking dinner or putting the washing out.

“But being present with my family is just as valuable in a different way, so I have to make a conscious choice to be present with them.

“I haven’t found the perfect solution yet, but when I’m with the athletes it’s Swifts time, and then I work on managing my behaviours at home. I can’t watch a netball game just before I go to sleep.”

The Swifts have won two premierships, and been minor premiers on a third occasion under head coach Briony Akle. Image Simon Leonard

The season ahead

2024 was a difficult Super Netball season for the Swifts: they parted company with their strike shooter early on, with the unsettled team picking off just four wins to finish in sixth place.

However, this year is already looking far brighter. Continuing her links with New Zealand, Akle has recruited one of the game’s brightest talents, goal shooter and Silver Fern Grace Nweke.

Also among the new names is former Vixens’ training partner Sharni Lambden, experienced midcourter Verity Simmons and assistant coach Dylan Nexhip, the current Australian Men’s captain and a defensive expert.

Akle said, “I didn’t really think about it at the time, but the value of him still playing is immense.

“He was part of the team that played the Silver Ferns while they were here recently, so for him to be able to feel it, see it, coach it – the girls have gained so much from that.

“His level of diligence and planning is respected by everyone.

“We’ve had change over the past six months, and it’s a new season, a new Swifts, and an exciting time within the club going forwards.”