From Year 12 to full time Giant: Teenager Hope White signed for Super Netball 2025

Giants rookie Hope White thought her netball dream was over before it started, but that wasn’t the case at all. She just finished VCE, and now the teenager is set for her Super Netball debut.

An ominous text from Giants coach Julie Fitzgerald had teen Hope White wondering if she had done something wrong, if her career was over before it had begun.

Not for a second did she think by the end of the call she would be a contracted Super Netball player.

The text landed in her inbox a few weeks ago. It requested a time to chat with her and her mum Peta.

At the time, White, 18, who had only just been promoted from the Giants’ training academy to training partner, had no idea midcourter Gina Crampton was pregnant and unavailable for the upcoming season.

“I found out at the same time I got the contract that Gina was pregnant,” White said. “I had no idea what the phone call was going to be about.

“I was in shock, I think I still am. I kept asking Julie, ‘Are you sure you want me?’ I couldn’t believe it.”

Hope White was shocked with her surprise signing. Picture: May Bailey, Clusterpix Photography

White’s mum sat next to her for the call.

“She didn’t say anything,” White said. “Her jaw dropped, she was in shock, too.”

After the call, once the news had sunk in and the tears had been wiped away, White’s mum was finally able to talk.

“She’s very happy for me,’’ White said. “She knows it’s been one of my dreams and I couldn’t have done it without her.

“The amount of effort and things she has sacrificed to be able to get me to where I am today is insane.

“She would take me everywhere to training, three or four times a week. She’d never question it or complain about it.

“She always tried to help me achieve my goals, always showed up at my games. She would put things on hold to watch me play. I’m very lucky to have her.”

It has been a whirlwind two months for White.

She finished Year 12, was a training partner with the club after two years in the academy and now has a chance to play in the world’s best domestic netball competition.

White is nervous about the daunting prospect but the Newcastle product isn’t going to let that get in the way of making the most of the chance.

Giants recruit Hope White was a training partner for two years. Picture: Ryan Jones/GIANTS Netball

Unlike most Super Netball rookies, White hasn’t stepped into a sold-out arena.

The most people she has played in front of was a couple of hundred, not the thousands that show up to Giants games.

“It’s crazy and scary but I know it is a good opportunity,” White said.

“I think I’ll probably be scared when I’m in that environment for the first time.

“I’ll probably be scared every single game but nerves are good if you know how to control them.”

White isn’t a stranger to elite-level netball. She has played age representative netball since under-12s and is in the Australian under-21 squad.

“This is a step up from being a training partner,” White said. “When you are training with some of the best players in the world it’s going to be intense but I think that’s good. I like the challenge.”

The dynamic midcourter has grown up watching Super Netball and said it was a surreal feeling to be walking into training alongside her idols.

“The likes of Jamie-Lee Price, Jo Harten – I could list every single player in the team – they are all so amazing for so many different reasons,” White said.

“I’m just embracing the opportunity and living in the moment, taking everything in.

“I’ve learned so much from them, they are so supportive and encouraging. It’s a good environment to be in.”

Giants head coach talks to rookie Hope White at a pre-season game. Picture: Ryan Jones/GIANTS Netball

As a midcourter, White could come up against some of the most talented players in the world, including Diamonds captain Liz Watson, Kate Moloney, Hannah Petty and Paige Hadley.

“I’m trying not to think about it,” she said. “It’s freaking me out.

“There are so many amazing players so it’s scary but that is all part of the challenge and I’m just going to take it as it comes.”

Fitzgerald is “thrilled” to have signed White for the 2025 season.

“The decision to bring Hope in as a permanent member of the squad was an easy one,” Fitzgerald said.

“She’s proven herself in every opportunity she’s had and we know she’ll continue to excel as part of the team.

“She’s an exciting young player who is full of potential and I’m confident she’ll make a big impact as she continues to develop in our program full-time.”

The Super Netball season launches on April 5.

Originally published as From Year 12 to full time Giant: Teenager Hope White signed for Super Netball 2025