Sam Poolman is the Head of Athlete Development & Foundation Officer at Newcastle Grammar School, a regular commentator on Fox Sports Netball broadcast, a board member of Sport Integrity Australia and the founder and Director of Aspire Netball.
A proud product of the Netball NSW player pathways, Sam Poolman started as a junior netballer at West Leagues Netball Club in Newcastle. She was a staple of the Australian underage squads, making her first representative netball team at the age of 12 and going on to be named to every State and National team for her age group as she progressed through the pathways. During this time, she won five National Netball Championship titles. Her talents earned her an Australian Institute of Sport Scholarship in 2011, when she was just 20 years old, and she was also selected as a NSWIS athlete for seven years - both opportunities which helped set her up for a career at the top level. The agile defender, who has made a name for herself as one of the toughest goal defenders in professional netball, made her elite debut in 2013 as a member of the Trans-Tasman Netball League 2013 Premiership winning Adelaide Thunderbirds. She played with the team for three years, making her mark in the netball world and garnering attention around the league.
Sam was selected to be one of the inaugural GIANTS Netball team members and GIANT #7 when the team made its debut in the Suncorp Super Netball League in 2017. The side went on to make the 2017 Grand Final – a huge accomplishment for a team in their first year – and followed that up by securing the Minor Premiership in 2018.In 2017, Sam was named as the GIANTS Netball Members’ Player of the Year, reflecting her popularity with the team’s fanbase and the respect held for her as an elite athlete. On the international level, Sam has represented her country at the 2017 and 2018 Fast5 Netball World Series competitions and was also named as an Australian Diamonds Training Partner during the squad’s 2017 Quad Series preparations. Sam was nominated as a finalist in the 2017 Women’s Health Women in Sports Awards ‘One to Watch’ category and was awarded the Newcastle Young Citizen of the Year award in 2021.
