McCausland-Durie to coach Pulse in new elite domestic league

With the focus set on a new era, Yvette McCausland-Durie has been appointed Central Pulse coach for next year’s revamped elite domestic netball competition.

McCausland-Durie recently guided Netball Central to runners-up in the inaugural Beko Netball League, a development competition specifically introduced to provide a level of competition that sits immediately below the ANZ Championship.

She was also appointed Silver Ferns assistant coach earlier this year.

“With New Zealand and Australia going their separate ways next year and the establishment of the New Zealand Elite Domestic League, we could not ignore the success Yvette had with the Central Beko team when selecting a coach for next year’s inaugural season and believe she is the right person for the job,” Netball Central CEO Carolyn Young said.

With that in mind, Netball Central is looking to align the Pulse and Beko teams more closely. In a bid to strengthen the overall coaching programme, a Director of Performance will be appointed within the next fortnight to oversee both teams.

With player contract negotiations set to begin for next year’s new league, Netball Central was keen to finalise the coaching position as quickly as possible.

McCausland-Durie’s appointment means Tanya Dearns was not reappointed after coaching the Pulse in the final year of the ANZ Championship this season.

“It is the perfect opportunity to reset our sights and introduce a new era for the team with a fresh approach. We would like to thank Tanya for her contribution this year and wish her well for the future,” Young said.

“We have just come through a very tough campaign. Tanya and the team had their fair share of bad luck, particularly with more than one career-ending injury. With the new competition having different challenges, the Board felt the experience of Yvette in the head coach role was the best option to help set the platform for the team heading into a new and exciting era.”

Dearns was disappointed the decision had been made not to reappoint her for another year.

“I would have liked to coach the team for another year but I accept the Board’s decision that they want to take the team in a different direction and I wish them all the best for the next season,” she said.

McCausland-Durie has over 10 years high performance coaching experience as part of the Netball New Zealand High Performance Coach Pathway, is a graduate of the High Performance Sports New Zealand (HPSNZ) Coach Accelerator Programme, and guided the New Zealand U21 team to a silver medal at the Netball World Youth Cup 2009.

She also coached the Pulse in the ANZ Championship between 2009-11.

“This is an honour and I’m delighted to be back with the Pulse,” McCausland-Durie said.

“This is where it all began for me at a high performance level and I know I’ve come a long way since then.

“I’m passionate about Netball and high performance sport. With this new domestic competition, it is an exciting time to be involved and I am looking forward to starting a new era with the Pulse.’’

The New Zealand Elite Domestic League, comprising six teams and a three-round format, will be launched in April.