USC Thunder competes in Queensland Netball’s Sapphire Series. 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. Coached by Garry Pashen, USC Thunder competes against six clubs from across Queensland. Matches will be played at the expanded USC Stadium in Sippy Downs and 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 run in partnership with Thunder to provide a link between Sapphire series and local community netball for emerging talented athletes on the Sunshine Coast.