Sarah Aley appointed as Female Pathway High-Performance Coach at CNSW

Retiring from all forms of the game after a stellar season with Sydney Sixers, Aley would be focusing on leading player development across both the Metropolitan and Country Pathways. She will also serve as the Head Coach of the U19 Metropolitan team and work along with the other coaches in the Pathway system, ensuring the development of the players for NSW and Australia.

Speaking about the appointment, Aley said that she is thrilled about the opportunity. “In the lead up to starting, it felt like the right time to move back into cricket, even though I was not out of it for that long," she said.

“Seeing the large scope of work in front of us is exciting. It’s a big job. We want to change how our pathway system is run and make sure young girls in NSW are ready to perform on the big stage when they get a contract."

Despite her long association with the Sixers as a player, Aley felt that she had to look at the big picture of her coaching career while taking up the opportunity to serve as fast bowling coach for the Thunder.

“There is a wonderful opportunity at the Thunder for me to take on a fast bowling coach role – something I have always thought I would do and something the Thunder didn’t have," she said.

“Looking at Thunder’s list and bowlers, there is some good experience there and exciting times with younger players like Hannah Darlington and Kate Peterson. I am really looking forward to working with Hannah to back up her amazing season last year."

Nic Bills, the CNSW Pathway Manager, said that Aley would be a great addition to the Pathway coaching team and supporting Trevor Griffin at the Thunder.

“Sarah is now the second coach from CNSW’s innovative Female Coaching Internship program to progress to a full-time role within our system. The program is clearly having an impact, and we are excited with what we can achieve in this space in the years ahead,” he concluded.