Cheryl Chambers appointed as new Venom head coach

The Geelong Venom have found their new head coach, announcing the appointment of accomplished figure Cheryl Chambers to the role today.

Chambers brings more than two decades of coaching experience across the WNBL and international basketball, boasting multiple championships and a proven reputation for building high-performance and successful programs.

Her resume includes WNBL titles with the Southside Melbourne Flyers and Sydney Flames, as well as an Olympic bronze medal with the Australian Opals.

Chambers told this publication she was attracted to the city of Geelong and is excited to contribute to the strength of basketball in the region.

“[Geelong is] such a sport-central town and I’m really excited to get women’s basketball right up in that echelon and make it a destination for players to come and develop their games,” she said.

“When I’m done, I want to leave a legacy and I think that this is a way to do that.”

Following her 2024 WNBL championship run with the Flyers and time with the Olympic team, Chambers has enjoyed some time away from basketball and has used the break to further develop her coaching skillset.

“I’ve used the last year and a half to do a whole lot of development, both in the team aspect and in player development,” she said.

“I’ve been watching Geelong – the group looks young and enthusiastic, so I’ll be trying to continue some of that style and add to it, and hopefully we get a few more wins.”

She said she will look to bring her grunt and focus on fast-paced and exciting basketball to the club.

“I think it’ll be a similar type style – we get up, we shoot threes, get to the rack, so it should be attractive to watch,” she said.

“My style is pretty much formulated on building a really good culture. A place where everyone belongs, everyone looks after each other.

“We work hard, we get some joy out of it, we’re professional as we can and get after it that way, be a really united team.

“We want to be gritty and physical and attractive, that sort of style that’s great to watch and really fun to play in.

“The work starts today. I’m just really excited about getting in and getting organised and getting a team on the floor.”

The Venom endured injuries and close losses throughout the 2025/26 season to finish with a 7-16 record, but showed glimpses of their high-end basketball potential.

Chambers also coaches the Sandringham Sabres in the NBL1 South, a rival to Geelong United.

The WNBL season will start later this year, with the league expanding to nine teams as Tasmania joins for the first time.