Jan Stirling AM

Jan Stirling is considered one of the most successful coaches in Australian sport, with a long and illustrious association with Australian basketball.

She began playing in the old ABA (pre- WNBL) at age 13 and was a member of Australia’s 1975 world championship team before eventually joining the elite coaching ranks as head coach of the Opals. The Opals won medals at every event under her leadership.

Since retiring from coaching, Jan continues to inspire and achieve success as an effective workshop facilitator and keynote speaker on team building, leadership, high-level performance and motivation.

Her clients include Western Mining, Virgin Airlines, Kodak Australia, University of Sydney, University of South Australia and various community youth and secondary school programs.

As one of Jan’s former Opals players said, “All she wants to see is people succeed and be the best they can be and she goes out of her way to make that happen. She strives to be the best she can be in her job and I guess with those qualities and that attitude, that’s why we’ve been so successful.”

This approach applies as much to coaching sportspeople to medal-winning performances as it does to helping individuals and businesses to reaching their potential and Jan Stirling excels at both.

More about Jan Stirling:

Jan Stirling led Adelaide Lightning to 12 straight Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) finals appearances between 1993 and 2004 and five consecutive Grand Final appearances resulting in four Championships. Jan was WNBL Coach of the Year in 1993. She became an assistant coach of the Opals in 1994 and became head coach in 2001- the first time a former Australian player, and a woman, had ever taken charge of the Opals.

Shortly after her appointment, a team of 50% first-time Opals won a bronze medal at the 2002 World Championships in China. She then led them to silver at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, to gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, gold at the 2006 FIBA world championship in Brazil and silver at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

In 2009 she was a consultant to the Russian Basketball Federation. Her vast experience in coaching, managing and developing elite athletes has seen her diversify her consultancy work and since 2010 she has been assisting Port Power with their Leadership program.

In 2008 Jan Stirling was honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her contribution to sport – as an elite coach, player and as a contributor to professional development and the community.

In April 2010 Jan was appointed the Executive Officer of SMA-SA (Sports Medicine Australia SA).