January 31, 2022
AMBASSADOR SPOTLIGHT - CATHERINE COX
On 26th January 2022 Catherine Cox AM joined a long list of exceptional Australians receiving the well-deserved Order of Australia accolade. Catherine has had a long and illustrious career in Australian Netball inspiring young women and men to pursue their love of the sport. Having moved to Australia at the age of six from New Zealand’s North Island Catherine quickly found her passion for Netball. Starting at age 11 with Beecroft Netball Club, Catherine went on to play Junior Reps with Hills District Netball Association.
Catherine played throughout school and represented New South Wales in the Australian National Netball Championships between 1992 and 2004. Before joining the Sydney SWIFTS in 1997, Catherine honed her skills further at the Australian Institute of Sport and with the Sydney Cenovis where she trained under awarded coach Julie Fitzgerald.
Catherine spent most of her career with the Sydney SWIFTS (later becoming New South Wales SWIFTS) though included stints with the Perth Orioles, West Coast Fever and Melbourne Vixens, holding the record for most National League games of any player and seeing her teams through to the seven grand finals.
Her dedication and exceptional skills saw her make 108 senior appearances for Australia and representing at the World Youth Netball Championships once, World Netball Series once, Commonwealth Games three times and World Netball Championships three times.
In 2018 Catherine was inducted into the NSW Hall of Champions.
Catherine has won 19 individual awards including MVP five times. Her latest accolade is one of Australia’s highest honours which celebrates Catherine for “significant service to netball as a player and coach”. Catherine was thrilled with the award saying “I have been super blessed in my netballing career and this has most certainly been the cherry on top. I was blown away to have been considered and it was an honour to be named next to this year’s other recipients.”
After hanging up her uniform for the final time in 2014 Catherine has stayed close to the game and is now a leading commentator for the sport. Her knowledge of the game and insights have seen her work with Fox Sports, Channel 9, various sport specials and her most recent appointment on the Netball Quad Series with Foxtel/Kayo.
Catherine spends her life dedicated to the game she loves with a career that has taken her all over the world where she has inspired thousands of young players to pursue their passion.
Catherine’s achievements have long inspired Valour Directors Matthew Knight and Ryan Tesoriero, so it was a natural progression to reach out to the sports star about joining Valour as their first brand ambassador in 2019.
Knight expressed that he “couldn’t be prouder to have an ambassador like Cath. What a legend of Australia and has been deservedly recognised for her contributions to Australian society.”
Catherine has grown up in the same local area as Valour, attending local high schools and representing Hills District Netball Association before pursing her professional Netball career. As an advocate for young and aspiring athletes Cath embodies the Valour brand. She balances her busy commentating career with spending time with her daughter, who can often be seen at the games alongside her mum.
Valour wants to congratulate Catherine Cox AM on her tremendous achievements both on and off the court.