USC Thunder is one of the 7 licences that compete in the coveted Hart Sapphire Series, the premier state league competition in Queensland. 

 Based at the University of the Sunshine Coast’s High Performance Sports Precinct, USC Thunder is providing a valuable step in the pathway between grassroots netballers and Sunshine Coast Lightning, the two-time Suncorp Super Netball champions.

Lead by Head coach Garry Pashen, USC will play their home games at the USC Stadium in Sippy Downs and away games at the new Queensland State Netball Centre in Brisbane.

The Sapphire Series is a semi-professional tournament run by Netball Queensland to give players, coaches and umpires a platform to impress for spots on the rosters of Australian Netball League and Suncorp Super Netball squads. USC Thunder will also boost the development of netball in the region by hosting a team in the second-tier Ruby Series, which showcases the best of the state’s emerging talent. The USC Netball Academy is also connected to the Thunder family providing coaching and umpiring pathways as well as elite coaching and preparation for Sunshine Coast based players to one day represent USC Thunder and Sunshine Coast Lightning in the SSN competition.

USC Thunder is supported by netball clubs from the Sunshine Coast to Caboolture in the south, through Gympie, Bundaberg and Rockhampton in the north, and as far west as Longreach. The wide-ranging catchment ensures USC Thunder will attract the best talent from across the region.

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