Caitlin Bassett

Caitlin Bassett's Biography

Caitlin Bassett is one of the most well-known names in Australian netball.

A dual World Champion, Commonwealth Games gold medallist and Suncorp Super Netball premiership player there is not much in the sport Caitlin hasn’t achieved. Named Australian Diamonds captain in 2017, she is one of only five players to reach 100 test caps. She was the first shooter to win the Liz Ellis Diamond in 2015 – the MVP award for the best netballer in Australia.

An instantly recognisable figure at 6’4, Caitlin began her professional netball career in Perth debuting at just 16 years old. Her rise in the sport was rapid with an international call up 4 years later and a surprise selection for the 2011 World Championships in Singapore. One of the youngest in the team she proved her selection when she come off the bench to shoot the winning goal in extra time. Fast forward to 2017 and with two World Championship gold medals and a Commonwealth Games gold under her belt Caitlin was named captain of the Australian team.

As a leader, Caitlin’s authentic style focuses on forming strong connections and empowering her teammates to lead alongside her. Off the court, Caitlin enrolled in a Broadcast and Journalism degree which she completed alongside her netball career.

In 2022 after 18 years of playing at the elite level, Caitlin announced her retirement from the game. With so many interests away from netball the options were endless as to which career path to choose. Putting her degree to good use Caitlin works across print, radio and TV and is currently part of the Fox Netball Commentary team. Using her experiences as an elite athlete Caitlin also works with Cricket NSW as a player development manager with the NSW Breakers. Her role is to provide individual guidance and support to players and encourage them to pursue work and study outside of sport.

Passionate about athlete wellbeing Caitlin works closely with the Australian Netball Players Association, the e-Safety Commissioner and Sport Integrity Australia for speaking engagements and presentations. She has a wealth of knowledge across multiple fields and brings enthusiasm and humour to any event she is involved in.

Speaking Topics Include

Leadership

Caitlin shares her leadership experiences, journey and development. She share the different leadership styles and how they are useful in different situations, and how to become a better leader.

Key takeaways:

Leadership can be learnt.

Your not just ‘born with it’.

Own your leadership style and lead in a way that’s authentic to you.

As for feedback.

Find a leadership mentor to work with.

 

Teamwork

Caitlin talks about the importance of different dynamics in a team, and understanding how to manage different personalities. She shares personal anecdotes from working in different high performing teams.

Key takeaways:

Encouraging and including different personalities in a team.

Ways to manage different personalities and learning styles.

The importance of teamwork in high performing teams.

Motivation

Caitlin discusses motivation and goal setting, and how she stayed motivated including tips and tricks. How not to beat yourself up if you lose motivation.

Key takeaways:

Setting up for success not failure with goals and motivation.

How to help motivate others.

Rewarding good motivation to encourage it.

Performing under pressure

Caitlin shares anecdotes of times she has been under pressure and failed, and ways to practice to have success in pressured situations. She also discusses why we feel pressure in certain situations.

Key takeaways:

Learning from the mistakes of others.

Getting rid of fear of failure.

When pressure can help us perform.

Resilience/mental toughness

Caitlin talks about challenges she has experienced playing at the elite level, big picture thinking, and the importance of asking for help.

Key takeaways:

How to build mental resilience.

Who to go to for help, recognising when others need help.