An accomplished netballer in her own right, Illman debuted for the club in 2000 against the Queensland Firebirds to become Adelaide Thunderbird #21.
Illman has since led the Netball South Australia Premier League Matrics side, taking the team to premiership glory four times, most recently in 2019.
Adelaide Thunderbirds Head Coach, Tania Obst is delighted to welcome Illman to the club in 2020.
“Having worked with Jacqui previously and in her role with Matrics, she has demonstrated the skill set and expertise to fill the specialist coach role. Jacqui has also played at the elite level and comes with an appreciation of the demands required as an athlete,” Obst said.
Illman is excited about the opportunity to work with the Adelaide Thunderbirds alongside Tania Obst and Nat von Bertouch.
“I’m looking forward to being involved in a high-performance program in the best netball competition in the world and working with such elite athletes.”
“This is a great opportunity for me to not only develop my own coaching and understanding of high-performance environments, but also to contribute to the future success of the Adelaide Thunderbirds and South Australia’s performance on the national stage.”
“As a past player and proud South Australian I am eager to give back to the club and am excited to be working with the next generation of Adelaide Thunderbirds particularly in this time of unprecedented growth for the sport.”
The announcement comes following the news that Cathy Fellows, existing Assistant Coach, will return to Victoria in a position split across the Victorian Institute of Sport and Netball Victoria.
Fellows will officially depart the Adelaide Thunderbirds following the Suncorp Team Girls Cup preseason tournament in March. The club wishes to acknowledge the contribution that she has made in the Adelaide Thunderbirds and Pathway environment over the past year.
“I would like to take the opportunity to thank Cathy for her work with our program over the past year. Whilst I am disappointed to see Cathy return to Victoria, I ultimately respect her decision and wish her all the best in her new role,” Obst said.
