Taking her netball career full circle, Wendy Frew has been appointed head coach of the Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel.

Frew, 39, replaces Reinga Bloxham - who resigned last month (Jul) - at the helm of the ANZ Premiership team.

“It is a surreal feeling and it probably hasn’t quite sunk in yet. This franchise just means so much to me after representing it for 16 years. Even when I had approaches to play for other teams, it just never felt right in my heart. I just always loved playing for home so I feel a lot of pride right now,” she said.

“When Reinga announced her appointment to the Cardiff Dragons recently, I decided to throw my name in the hat. It has always been a goal of mine to coach the Steel and it’s a fantastic opportunity for me to give back to the franchise.

“I’ve had such an amazing career as a player and now this is the next chapter I get to write as a coach and I couldn’t be more excited to see what we can achieve together as a team.

“I am extremely humbled and honoured to lead the Steel and will work hard to ensure the franchise continues to be successful in delivering performances we can all be proud of. 

“So many things excite me about the role. Yes, it's a bit out of my comfort zone given it’s my first assignment at ANZ Premiership level, but I’m ready to embrace both the challenges and the achievements ahead.”

Frew, who captained the Steel to back-to-back ANZ Premiership titles in 2017 and 2018 under Bloxham’s tutelage, is no stranger to the high-performance environment vital to success.

“My approach is player-orientated and I believe it’s important everyone is respected and happy in the environment we create. I adopt an open-door policy and want to really make sure I'm looking after the players and they know I’ve got their back 100 percent,” she said.

“I've worked with a lot of incredible coaches but for me, Robyn Broughton really stands out when I'm talking about this as she always cared about the person before the player and that will always be an integral part of how I operate. When the players are happy off the court, they perform strongly on it. You can’t underestimate the importance of it because if you've got a positive team culture with strong values, the results follow.

“It does feel quite emotional with Robyn passing last year and now getting this role as she’s someone I would have been phoning up probably two or three times a week if she was still around. I want to do her proud and I know she would be happy for me. There’s so much of Robbie that follows with me and I will bring a lot of her qualities into my coaching because she installed so many outstanding values and standards in me.”

Frew describes her own coaching philosophy as “striving for excellence with a focus on the basics”.

“I really am big on the basics and make no apologies for that so it will be a crucial area of our training. I will demand excellence so the players will have to put in the intensity. I believe you must train harder than what the actual game is so the players can expect some tough sessions in order to combat that.”

She was eager to finalise the roster for the 2025 campaign.

“There’s no denying it has been a tough few years for the Steel but a key part has always been the fight shown to the final whistle regardless of what’s on the scoreboard. I really admire the resilience of our players and the entire team behind them,” Frew said. 

“I’m excited to work with those we have coming back and the new faces recruited and can’t wait to kick off the preseason to set our values, develop our culture and work hard to earn the results we deserve. Every season is a new chance to change the narrative.”

Telling her parents Colin and Karen Telfer about her new role was “incredibly special”.

“They have been such a massive support for me, along with Trent – who gave me the confidence to take the plunge – our kids and the rest of my family, so it was a proud moment to share this news,” she said.

“I’m looking forward to embracing the challenge and growing as a coach and a person in a different space, as well as reconnecting with our loyal fans and stakeholders from a new perspective.

“Honestly, I feel so much excitement and just wish it was next year already so we can get stuck in.”

It was “humbling” to add her name to an elite list of coaches.

“I have so many fantastic memories working with some remarkable coaches on my own journey. The franchise hasn’t had many coaches over the past 26 years so to add my name alongside them means so much. I certainly know there is a lot of hard work ahead of me to ensure I do the job justice given the legacy they have each left,” Frew said.

Steel chief executive Sonya Fleming was thrilled to have Frew leading the next phase in the franchise’s history.

“It was a robust recruitment process which attracted some high calibre applicants and I’m really pleased this resulted in a tough decision to make – that’s exactly the position you want to be in,” she said.

“There is simply no denying the passion Wendy has for the Steel franchise and netball as a whole in the southern region and I’m looking forward to seeing what she can bring to the role. I am confident our players will thrive under her leadership while learning from her extensive netball experience and skills.”