QUEENSLAND SUNS LAUNCHES STRATEGIC PLAN

The 2026 campaign is now behind us, and over the past few months the Committee has read every word of feedback received - from coaches, from the High Performance Director, from the strength and conditioning and medical leads, and from athletes, parents and support staff who responded to the Post-Nationals Player Survey. Your collective voice has given the Committee the clearest picture we have ever had of how the campaign was experienced across all six programs, and what we need to do next.

What we are proud of.  Our athletes grew. Multiple Suns players were named to Australian teams and squads across age groups. Several of our programs delivered the kind of environments we want every Suns athlete to experience. The dedication of athletes, parents, coaches, managers, training partners, support staff and volunteers is what made that possible. Thank you.

What we have heard, and what we are doing about it.  A number of themes came through clearly across the feedback. The most consistent themes are summarised below at a high level. A number of other concerns and suggestions for improvement were also raised, and all of them are being worked through by the Committee as part of the planning for 2027.

• Culture.  Culture was the area most consistently raised across coaches, the HPD, support staff and athletes — with nearly half of athletes ranking it their top priority. The Committee accepts that the standards we have in place were not consistently experienced across every program. We are committed to making sure every Suns athlete experiences the same high-quality, respectful and supportive environment, every time they put on the Suns uniform. This is the single biggest piece of work the Committee is taking forward.

  
  

• Decision-making and timing.  Several Committee-level decisions in 2026 were made later in the cycle than they should have been. This is on us. We are putting in place a locked campaign calendar so coaches and athletes have certainty from the start of the cycle.

  
  

• Equity across all six programs.  Feedback raised that resources, visibility and support were not felt equally across every program. The Committee accepts this as a governance responsibility we own. We are committed to ensuring every Suns program receives the support, resourcing and recognition it deserves.

  
  

• Preparation for each program.  Aspects of our pre-season preparation worked better for some programs than others. The Committee is committed to reconsidering the approach for 2027 so that preparation is designed to suit each program and the athletes within it.

  
  

• The cost of being a Suns athlete.  Cost was consistently raised across the community. The Committee is committed to reducing the financial burden on athletes and their families through a sustainable sponsorship and revenue strategy, and through a careful review of how the Association manages its own spending.

  
  

• The operational foundations of our program.  The Committee is putting in place stronger foundations across the program — clearer agreements, accountability standards, and independent visibility — so that the standards we set are consistently met across every team.

  
  

Beyond these themes, the feedback raised a number of other specific concerns and ideas for improvement. The Committee has reviewed every one of them and is treating them with the same seriousness. None of them have been set aside.

What happens next.  The Committee held a planning session late last month to translate this feedback into concrete decisions for the 2027 campaign and beyond. The work we did informed the QLD Suns Strategic Plan - setting out the direction of the Association, and a comprehensive set of policies and procedures covering how the Association is governed and how every program is run. These will be progressively released over the period ahead and will form the foundation for 2027 and the cycles that follow - and your feedback has shaped what they will contain.

Where you can have a voice going forward.  The Post-Nationals Player Survey will become a standing part of how we run the Suns. Coach and HPD reports will continue to inform the Committee’s decisions every cycle. The Committee will also be considering how to create regular channels for athlete and coach voice between campaigns. If you have something to add or follow up on directly, please reach out to the Committee through the usual channels.

Thank you again. We are proud of what was achieved in 2026, and we are committed to making 2027 even better.

The Management Committee QLD Suns Men’s & Mixed Netball