Strachan, a key member of the Firebirds’ 2015 and 2016 championship teams, was assessed while coaching the Far North Flames at the Ruby North round in Cairns earlier this year. It marked the first time an Elite Coach Assessment had been completed during a Ruby North round.
She also coached the Ruby North Merit Team against the Queensland Under-23 First Nations team in an exhibition match at Nissan Arena on HPNL Grand Final day, adding another valuable high-performance experience to her developing coaching resume.
Netball Queensland Head of Talent and Development Roselee Jencke said Strachan had shown the qualities in her coaching that made her such an accomplished athlete.
“Caitlyn is an exciting new coaching talent making her way through the pathway,” Jencke said.
“She moved her family to Cairns for two weeks for the opportunity to be tested while coaching the Ruby North Far North Flames team.
“Flames Head Coach Sharon Massey-Chase generously supported the opportunity and used it as professional development to learn from Caitlyn’s experience.
“Across the weekend, Caitlyn demonstrated her understanding of the game and, under her guidance, the team played a smart, cohesive and competitive style.
“Caitlyn was a savvy, intelligent and creative athlete at the elite level, and the team’s feedback strongly reinforced that those qualities are also evident in her coaching.”
Wadham, the iCare Australia Ipswich Jets Ruby coach in 2026 and a well-known figure in south-east Queensland netball, was also successful in her Elite Coach Assessment.
“Julia has worked exceptionally hard over the past few years to develop her coaching and ensure she was ready to be assessed for Elite accreditation,” Jencke said.
“It is exciting for Netball Queensland to have another coach attain this level. Julia can now draw on that added experience in the way she manages and coaches her athletes, helping them to continue improving.”
