Liz Ellis

{{Infobox netball biography

|name = Liz Ellis

|honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AO|size=100%}}

|image = Liz Ellis.jpg

|caption = Liz Ellis, Celebrity Grand Prix Day, 11 March 2008

|updated = 2015-06-24

|fullname = Elizabeth Margaret Ellis

|maidenname =

|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1973|01|17|df=y}}

|birth_place = Windsor, New South Wales, Australia

|death_date =

|death_place =

|height = {{convert|1.83|m|ftin|abbr=on}}

|school = St Andrews College, Marayong

|university = Macquarie University

|occupation = {{hlist|Netball player|television presenter}}

|relatives =

|spouse = Matthew Stocks

|marrieddate =

|children = 2

|positions = GK

|clubyears1 = 1997–07

|clubteam1 = Sydney Swifts

|clubapps1 = 173

|nationalyears1 = 1992

|nationalteam1 = Australia U21

|nationalcaps1 =

|nationalyears2 = 1993–07

|nationalteam2 = Australia

|nationalcaps2 = 122

|medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry|{{nb|Australia}}}}

}}

Elizabeth Margaret Ellis, {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100%|AO}} (born 17 January 1973) is a retired Australian netball player and television presenter who was a member of the national netball team from 1992 until 2007 and captain for the last four of those years. She is the most capped international player for Australian netball.{{cite news|title=Liz Ellis|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/weekend-australian-magazine/liz-ellis/story-e6frg8h6-1111115161921|accessdate=16 January 2016|work=The Australian|date=15 December 2007}}

Early life and education

Ellis was born in Windsor, New South Wales, on 17 January 1973.[http://www.reachout.com.au/default.asp?ti=404 Reach Out! – Liz Ellis] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061007111827/http://www.reachout.com.au/default.asp?ti=404 |date=7 October 2006 }} After attending Holy Family High School and finishing the last two years of secondary education at John Paul II Senior High School (now known as St Andrew's College), Ellis attended the Australian Institute of Sport on a netball scholarship. She also completed a law degree at Macquarie University while she worked her way up the ranks of Australian netball.{{cite news|last1=Safe|first1=Mike|title=Places in the heart|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/weekend-australian-magazine/places-in-the-heart/story-e6frg8h6-1111114681625|accessdate=16 January 2016|work=The Australian|date=20 October 2007}}

Netball career

After attending the AIS in 1991–1992, Ellis made her debut for the Australian Netball Team in July 1993 against Wales. It was the 1995 World Championships in Birmingham where she stamped her mark on the international netball scene with a sterling performance in the grand final against South Africa. She went on to be a mainstay of the Australian Netball Team, participating in the 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007 World Championships and the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games. She was named Vice-Captain of the team in 2000 and Captain in 2004 and broke the record for the highest number of tests played for Australia in 2005. She was named Australian Netball's Most Valued Player on four occasions – 1996, 1998, 2002 and 2006.{{Cite web |last=Jameson |first=Julietta |date=2018-04-26 |title=The places that changed my life: Liz Ellis |url=https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/reviews-and-advice/the-places-that-made-me-liz-ellis-netball-commentator-and-former-australian-netball-captain-20180419-h0yzc0.html |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Liz Ellis {{!}} Sport Australia Hall of Fame |url=https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/liz-ellis-2/ |access-date=2024-02-03 |language=en-US}}

Ellis became the captain of the Sydney Swifts in 2000. She was the captain for their team in 2001, 2004, 2006 and 2007 Commonwealth Bank Trophy premierships. She played her entire domestic career for the Swifts and holds the record for the most games played in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy (173). In October 2005, Ellis suffered a career-threatening knee injury in a match against New Zealand in Auckland. She defied the critics by making a full recovery from a full knee reconstruction and producing some of the best netball of her career in the two years that followed. Ellis announced her retirement from netball on 19 November 2007, two days after leading Australia to a World Championship victory over New Zealand.{{Cite web |date=2010-11-19 |title=Liz Ellis |url=https://www.abc.net.au/profiles/content/s3070850.htm |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=www.abc.net.au |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |language=en-AU}}{{Cite web |title=Netball NSW Hall of Fame Inductee: Liz Ellis AO |url=https://nsw.netball.com.au/news/netball-nsw-hall-fame-inductee-liz-ellis-ao |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=Netball NSW |language=en}}

Television career

Since her retirement, Ellis has been a netball commentator, working initially for Fox Sports and Network Ten during their coverage of the ANZ Championship and Australian Diamonds test matches. She moved to the Nine Network when it picked up the rights to the Suncorp Super Netball league, and became a regular panellist on the network's weekly Sports Sunday program.{{Cite web |title=Liz Ellis AO |url=https://www.celebrityspeakers.com.au/speakers/liz-ellis/ |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=Celebrity Speakers |language=en-AU}}

In 2023, Ellis appeared as a contestant in the ninth season of the Australian edition of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, which she won.{{cite web|last=Bond|first=Nick|url=https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/reality-tv/im-a-celebrity/im-a-celebrity-get-me-out-of-here-full-cast-revealed/news-story/4447c7306fd69df895f3d57007b246c6|title=I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here: Full cast revealed|date=2 April 2023|website=News.com.au|access-date=2 April 2023}} She also began appearing regularly on Network 10's The Project as a panelist in 2023.{{Cite web |title=The Project - 20 Jul 2023 |url=https://10play.com.au/theproject/episodes/2023/the-project-20-jul-2023/tpv230720wextc |access-date=2023-08-01 |website=10 play |language=en-AU}}{{Cite web |title=The Project - 27 Jul 2023 |url=https://10play.com.au/theproject/episodes/2023/the-project-27-jul-2023/tpv230727jzawt |access-date=2023-08-01 |website=10 play |language=en-AU}}

In October 2023, Network 10 announced at their 2024 upfronts that Ellis was set to host a revival of the sports entertainment competition show Gladiators Australia in 2024, alongside Beau Ryan.{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Tia |title=Gladiators Australia 2024 hosted by Beau Ryan and Liz Ellis |url=https://www.nowtolove.com.au/celebrity/tv/gladiators-australia-2024-78779 |access-date=2024-01-21 |website=Now To Love |date=11 December 2023 |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=McManus |first=Bridget |date=2024-01-05 |title=How Liz Ellis emerged from the celebrity jungle to host Gladiators |url=https://www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/how-liz-ellis-emerged-from-the-celebrity-jungle-to-host-gladiators-20240101-p5euhu.html |access-date=2024-01-21 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}} The show officially premiered on 15 January 2024.{{Cite web |date=2024-01-10 |title=Meet the Australian Gladiators 2024 Cast |url=https://www.who.com.au/gladiators-australia-cast |access-date=2024-01-21 |website=Who |language=en-us}}

Personal life

Ellis met former businessman Matthew Stocks in 1992. They became engaged in 2000 and married in 2006.{{cite web |url=https://www.mamamia.com.au/liz-ellis-family/ | title=From netball captain to I'm A Celeb's queen of the jungle: Liz Ellis crowned winner in emotional finale

| work=Mamamia | first=Shannen | last=Findlay | date=2023-04-15 | accessdate=2023-05-14 }}

On 31 March 2011, Ellis announced that she was pregnant.{{cite news|title=Liz Ellis going full circle|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/liz-ellis-going-full-circle/story-fn6bn80a-1226031648025|accessdate=16 January 2016|work=Herald Sun|date=1 April 2011}} On 28 September 2011, she gave birth to her first child, a daughter, at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

On 21 October 2015, Ellis announced on "The Project" that after several rounds of IVF and three miscarriages, she was pregnant with her second child. A son was born 4 April 2016.{{cite web|title=Exclusive: Liz Ellis welcomes a baby boy! |url=http://www.aww.com.au/latest-news/celebrity/liz-ellis-welcomes-a-baby-boy-26361 |work=Australian Women's Weekly|date=5 April 2016}}

Ellis wrote a book in 2018 titled "If at First You Don't Conceive", detailing her experiences with her troubles having children.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}

In August 2022 she appeared in Season 13 of Who Do You Think You Are?, revealing connections to Condobolin, and an Irish convict ancestor.{{cite web |last1=KHA |first1=Henry |title=Who Do You Think You Are? - Liz Ellis |url=https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/clippings/who-do-you-think-you-are-liz-ellis |website=Macquarie University |publisher=Macquarie University |access-date=30 December 2024}}

In May 2024, Ellis was appointed Chair of the Netball Australia Board.{{cite web|url=https://netball.com.au/news/liz-ellis-elected-chair-netball-australia|title=Liz Ellis elected as Chair of Netball Australia|work=Netball Australia|date=17 May 2024|access-date=27 May 2024}}

Recognition

Ellis was inducted to the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2006.{{Cite web |date= |title=Liz Ellis AO |url=https://www.vic.gov.au/liz-ellis-ao |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=State Government of Victoria |language=en-au}}

In the 2018 Australia Day Honours, Ellis became an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for "distinguished service to netball as an elite player and coach, through support and advocacy for young women, as a contributor to the broadcast and print media industries, and to the community".{{Cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/national/australia-day-honours-2018-the-full-list-20180125-h0o20j.html|title=Australia Day Honours 2018: The full list|date=2018-01-26|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=2018-01-29|language=en-US}} In recognition of her outstanding career, since 2008 the highest individual accolade awarded to an Australian netball athlete has been the annual Liz Ellis Diamond.

In 2019, she was inducted into Hall of Fame at Australian Women's Health Sport Awards.{{Cite web|url=https://www.womenshealth.com.au/2019-womens-health-women-in-sport-awards-winners|title=The Winners Of The 2019 Women In Sport Awards|website=The Australian Women's Health|access-date=17 October 2019}}

In 2020, a river-class ferry on the Sydney Ferries network was named in her honour.{{cite web|url=https://www.nswis.com.au/nswis-news/nswis-alumni-celebrated-on-new-river-class-ferries/|title=NSWIS alumni celebrated on new River Class ferries|publisher=New South Wales Institute of Sport|date=6 October 2020|access-date=6 October 2023}}

References

External links

{{Official website|www.lizellis.com.au}}
[https://netball.com.au/past-players/110-liz-ellis-oam/ Liz Elliz profile at Netball Australia website]
[http://www.nma.gov.au/collections/liz_ellis_netball_collection/ Liz Ellis collection at the National Museum of Australia]

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