Irene van Dyk is a South African-born New Zealand netball player. A goal-shooter, van Dyk is one of the world's best-known netballers and is the most capped international player of all time: in every game she consistently attained over 90%. She is recognised as the greatest goal-shooter of all time. Van Dyk has had a huge impact on Netball, and almost single-handedly changing the way it is played, both in New Zealand and around the world, while contributing immensely to its growing popularity.
The Mainland Tactix are a New Zealand netball team based in Christchurch, Canterbury who compete in the ANZ Premiership. The team was one of the founding teams in the National Bank Cup, formerly the premier netball competition in New Zealand (1998–2007), during which the team was known as the Canterbury Flames. After the NBC was retired in 2007, the Flames became a founding franchise of the new trans-Tasman ANZ Championship and changed their name to the Canterbury Tactix. In 2013 they changed their name to Mainland Tactix, to clearly state what region they are from. The Mainland team represent the New Zealand regions of Canterbury, West Coast, Nelson and Marlborough.
The National Bank Cup was the pre-eminent national netball competition in New Zealand between 1998 and 2007. From 2008, it was replaced by the ANZ Championship.
The Capital Shakers were a New Zealand netball team based in Wellington that competed in now defunct National Bank Cup competition. The Shakers franchise merged with the Western Flyers to form the Central Pulse in the ANZ Championship
The New Zealand Football Championship was a men's association football league at the top of the New Zealand league system. Founded in 2004, the New Zealand Football Championship was the successor to a myriad of short-lived football leagues in the country, including the National Soccer League, the National Summer Soccer League and the New Zealand Superclub League. The league was contested by ten teams in a franchise system. For sponsorship reasons, the competition was known as the ISPS Handa Men's Premiership. From the 2021-22 season, it was replaced by the New Zealand National League.
Netball is the most popular women's team participation sport in Australia. In 1985, there were 347,000 players. In 1995, there were over 360,000 Australian netball players. Throughout most of Australia's netball history, the game has largely been a participation sport; it has not managed to become a large spectator sport. In 2005 and 2006, 56,100 Australians attended one to two netball matches. Of these, 41,600 were women. 46,200 attended three to five netball matches, with 34,400 of those spectators being women. 86,400 attended six or more netball matches, with 54,800 spectators being female. Overall, 188,800 people attended netball matches, with 130,800 being female. In 2005 and 2006, netball was the 10th most popular spectator sport for women with Australian rules football (1,011,300), horse racing (912,200), rugby league (542,600), motor sports (462,100), rugby union (232,400), football (212,200), harness racing (190,500), cricket (183,200) and tennis (163,500) all being more popular. The country set an attendance record for a netball match with a record crowd of 14,339 at the Australia–New Zealand Netball Test held at the Sydney Super Dome game in 2004.
Donna Wilkins is a New Zealand representative in netball and basketball. She married Southland farmer Mike Wilkins on 17 March 2007. Wilkins returned to the Southern Steel for the 2012 season, after a short stint with the Canterbury Tactix in 2011.
The Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic are a New Zealand netball team based in Waikato that currently compete in the ANZ Premiership. The franchise was formed in 1999 during the Coca-Cola Cup as an amalgamation of two teams from the inaugural season, the Waikato Wildcats and the Bay of Plenty Magic. After the National Bank Cup was retired in 2007, the Magic joined four other New Zealand franchises in the new ANZ Championship, representing the New Zealand regions of the Waikato and the Bay of Plenty. The ANZ Championship ended in 2016, and the Magic joined five other New Zealand teams in the new ANZ Premiership competition the following year.
Netball New Zealand is the national body which oversees, promotes and manages netball in New Zealand, including the Silver Ferns.
The Central Pulse are a New Zealand netball team based in Wellington that compete in the ANZ Premiership. The Pulse were formed as an amalgamation of the Western Flyers and Capital Shakers teams from the National Bank Cup (NBC), and competed in the former ANZ Championship from 2008–16, before joining the ANZ Premiership. The team represent regions from the Lower North Island.
Joline Henry is a New Zealand netball player. Henry is a current member of the New Zealand national netball team, the Silver Ferns, and has played for the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic (2008-2009) and the Northern Mystics (2010-2011) in the ANZ Championship. In 2012, Henry is with the Central Pulse for the 2012 ANZ Championship.
Netball is the most popular women's sport in New Zealand, in terms of player participation and public interest. With the national team, the Silver Ferns, currently ranked second in the world, netball maintains a high profile in New Zealand. As in other netball-playing countries, netball is considered primarily a women's sport; men's and mixed teams exist at different levels, but are ancillary to women's competition.
The Northern Mystics are a New Zealand netball team based in Auckland who currently compete in the ANZ Premiership. The club was formed in 2007 as an amalgamation of two teams from the National Bank Cup – the Northern Force and the Auckland Diamonds – after the competition was retired that year. In 2008, the Mystics joined four other New Zealand franchises in the new ANZ Championship, representing the New Zealand regions of Northland and Auckland. After the ANZ Championship ended in 2016, the Mystics joined five other teams in the new ANZ Premiership
Daneka Wipiiti is a New Zealand international netball player. She is currently in the New Zealand national netball team, the Silver Ferns, and plays with the Southern Steel in the ANZ Championship.
Robyn Denise Broughton is a New Zealand netball coach. Broughton coached the Southern Sting from 1998 to 2007 during the National Bank Cup, winning seven titles in ten years. She was also an assistant coach for the New Zealand national netball team from 2000 to 2002, and is currently a national selector. From 2012 to 2015, Broughton coached the Central Pulse in the ANZ Championship, after four years with the Southern Steel and later coached the Hertfordshire Mavericks in the Netball Superleague.
Joanne Morgan is an Australian netball player. Morgan was an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder. She was Captain for the Sydney Sandpipers and Captain of NSW and also a member of the Queensland Firebirds in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy, with a stint in the New Zealand National Bank Cup in 2004, playing for the Western Flyers. Morgan continued to play with the Firebirds with the start of the ANZ Championship in 2008. During her time with the Sydney Sandpipers and the Queensland Firebirds, Morgan scored more than 4000 goals and is the third highest goal scorer of all time. Morgan is also a former Australian international, playing one test against New Zealand in 1996 in Adelaide. After being dropped from the Firebirds following the 2008 season, she initially signed though with the Canterbury Tactix franchise in New Zealand. However, her position in that team was rejected by Netball New Zealand. She was also considered for the Southern Steel in 2009 to replace former international Jenny-May Clarkson, who retired due to work commitments, but Morgan was not signed. Morgan continued to play in the Queensland State League for the Golden South Jaguars and in 2015 played Australian Netball League as an import player for the Territory Storm. Morgan currently works as a high school physical education teacher at Helensvale State High School on the Gold Coast. She is also a Queensld State managerial.
Tania Mary Dalton was a New Zealand international netball player. After retiring from playing professionally, she worked as a netball commentator on SKY Sports for international tests, the ANZ Championship and National Championships, alongside former internationals Anna Stanley, Natalie Avellino, Kathryn Harby-Williams and Bernice Mene. Dalton was also a part owner of the franchise food outlet chain, Pita Pit New Zealand Limited.
Janine Southby Brown is a retired New Zealand netball player who then coached the national Silver Ferns netball team. She was also the coach of the Southern Steel in the ANZ Championship. Southby played for the Western Flyers in the National Bank Cup competition from 1997–2001, before transferring to the Dunedin-based Otago Rebels in 2002. In 2015, Southby was given the role as head coach for the New Zealand netball team the Silver Ferns. Southby had resigned on July 20th 2018 where the independent review found fault in Southby's coaching style.
The Northern Stars are a New Zealand netball team based in Papakura that, since 2017, has competed in the new ANZ Premiership New Zealand Netball competition. The franchise was formed in 2016 as the sixth team to compete in the ANZ Premiership following the announcement that the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship competition would be retired following the 2016 season. The Stars joined the five already-established New Zealand franchises of the ANZ Championship, representing the areas of South and East Auckland. The Stars home venue for training and games is Pulman Arena at Bruce Pulman Park, Papakura.
Tanya Jane Dearns is a New Zealand netball coach and former netball player. She played 31 international matches for the New Zealand team between 1990 and 1998, including at the 1991 World Netball Championships.
