- New Zealand national netball team
-
New Zealand 
Nickname(s) Silver Ferns Association Netball New Zealand Confederation Oceania Netball Federation Head coach Waimarama Taumaunu Asst coach Noeline Taurua Captain Laura Langman Vice-captain Irene van Dyk Most caps Irene van Dyk IFNA ranking 1 
Team coloursFirst international Australia 
40 – 11 
New Zealand
Melbourne, 1938World Championships 2011 placing 2nd Best result 1st (1967, 1979, 1987, 2003) Commonwealth Games 2010 placing 1st Best result 1st (2006, 2010) The New Zealand national netball team, commonly known as the Silver Ferns, represent New Zealand in international netball. The team take their nickname from the Silver Tree Fern (Cyathea dealbata), which is an iconic emblem for many New Zealand sports teams.[1] The Silver Ferns were formed in 1938 as a representative New Zealand team to tour Australia. To date, they have been one of the most dominant national netball teams in the world, along with the Australian Diamonds, and have a winning record against most other netball nations. In January 2011, the Silver Ferns became ranked first in the IFNA World Rankings.[2]
The Silver Ferns compete annually in a home-and-away test series with Australia, and also play test matches with other major netball countries, including England and Jamaica, on a regular basis. They have competed at every Netball World Championship since its inauguration in 1963, and in every Commonwealth Games since netball's inclusion in 1998. The Silver Ferns have won the Netball World Championships four times (in 1967, 1979, 1987 and 2003); they are also the reigning Commonwealth Games and World Netball Series champions, winning in 2010 and 2009, respectively.
The Silver Ferns are administered by Netball New Zealand, the national governing body for netball in the country. Silver Ferns players are usually selected from New Zealand ANZ Championship franchises. The team are presently captained by Laura Langman after Casey Williams. Waimarama Taumaunu is the current head coach after Ruth Aitken retired in 2011. [3]
Contents
History
Introduction of netball to New Zealand
Netball was introduced into New Zealand as "women's basketball" in 1906[4][5] or 1907[6][7] by Rev. J. C. Jamieson, after having seen the game being played in Australia. The game spread through schools across the country, and by 1924 the New Zealand Basketball Association was formed to administer the game on a national basis.[4] Early attempts were made in the 1920s to organise international matches in New Zealand, but these were curtailed by insufficient funds and international differences in playing rules.[6]
Formation and early tests
In 1938, the New Zealand Basketball Association sent the first New Zealand representative women's basketball team to tour Australia. The team's emblem and colours, a Silver Fern on a black uniform, had previously been decided in the same year that the association was founded. Margaret Matangi captained the first Silver Ferns team in their debut international test series,[8] played according to Australian seven-a-side rules (cf. nine-a-side in New Zealand). In their first international test, the Silver Ferns lost to Australia 40–11.[9] In 1948, ten years after the first tour and three years after the end of World War II, an Australian team toured New Zealand, winning all three test matches against the Silver Ferns, as well as all nine provincial matches; again, the games were played under Australian seven-a-side rules.[6] A team representing the New Zealand Minor Associations toured Fiji in 1954, at the invitation of the Fijian Basketball Association; the Fijians in turn sent a representative team to New Zealand in 1957.[6] New Zealand once again organised a team to tour Australia in 1960. The team was captained by June Waititi and also featured renowned defender Lois Muir.[4]
The international game
By the time of the 1960 tour of Australia, netball-playing nations from around the world had met to draft the first international rules of netball, which featured seven-a-side teams.[6] The first Netball World Championships (then called the "World Tournament") took place in 1963 in Eastbourne, England. The New Zealand team travelled to the venue by boat, arriving after a voyage of six weeks.[10] The team were captained by Pam Edwards, with Muir as vice-captain. Australia defeated New Zealand 37–36 in a closely contested final to win the tournament.[4] The Silver Ferns would not play again for another four years, until the next World Championships in Perth. Captained by Judy Blair, New Zealand defeated Australia 43–40 to win the tournament.[10]
In 1970, New Zealand played a visiting Fiji team, before touring England and the Caribbean. Also that same year, the Silver Ferns uniform changed from a black tunic to a black skirt and white shirt.[4] New Zealand competed in the third World Championships in Jamaica the following year, again coming second behind Australia. The Silver Ferns toured England in 1974. One year later New Zealand hosted its first World Championships, where the host nation finished third behind Australia and England. Four years later at the 1979 Netball World Championships, the Silver Ferns finished 1st equal, tied with Australia and Trinidad and Tobago.
Regular competition
The 1980s saw the emergence of regular international competition for the Silver Ferns, as well as increasing television coverage of netball matches in New Zealand.[11] The Silver Ferns competed in two World Championships, in 1983 and 1987. The 1983 Championships were held in Singapore, where New Zealand were defeated in the finals by Australia; four years later, the Silver Ferns defeated Australia to win the 1987 Championships in Glasgow. Starting from 1985, the Silver Ferns have played international tests on an annual basis. In 1989, New Zealand achieved a historic clean-sweep test series win over Australia. It was also the year in which netball was included in the World Games, where New Zealand progressed undefeated to emerge as champions. The Silver Ferns subsequently won the New Zealand Sportsteam of the Year (team award) that year.[10] In the 1990s, the Silver Ferns contested three World Championships but did not manage to win any of them. The 1999 Championship final between Australia and New Zealand was the highest-ever rating programme for televisor TV2.[4] Another trans-Tasman Silver Ferns match in 2008 attracted a higher television audience than for a recent Bledisloe Cup–deciding rugby union match.[12]
Recent history
The Silver Ferns have had several successes in the 2000s. The Silver Ferns once again emerged as world champions after winning the 2003 World Championships in Jamaica. 2005 was a similarly successful year, in which they won all eight international tests, with comfortable series victories over England and Australia, capped off with a tri-series win over Jamaica and Barbados. That year they also posted their highest ever score against Australia, winning 61–36 in Auckland.[4] In 2006, New Zealand won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, but were defeated by Australia at the final of 2007 World Championships in Auckland the following year. In 2009, the first World Netball Series was contested in England, with the Silver Ferns defeating Jamaica in the grand final to win the inaugural tournament.[13] Success was repeated the following year at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, with New Zealand defeating Australia in a dramatic 66–64 double-overtime gold medal playoff win.[14] The Silver Ferns are currently ranked first in the IFNA netball world rankings, which until 2008 were determined solely by the results of the World Championships.[2]
Competitive record
Netball World Championships Year Championship Location Placing 1963 1st World Championships Eastbourne, England 
2nd place1967 2nd World Championships Perth, Australia 
Champions1971 3rd World Championships Kingston, Jamaica 2nd place1975 4th World Championships Auckland, New Zealand 
3rd place1979 5th World Championships Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago Joint 1st1983 6th World Championships Singapore 2nd place1987 7th World Championships Glasgow, Scotland Champions1991 8th World Championships Sydney, Australia 2nd place1995 9th World Championships Birmingham, England 3rd place1999 10th World Championships Christchurch, New Zealand 2nd place2003 11th World Championships Kingston, Jamaica Champions2007 12th World Championships Auckland, New Zealand 2nd place2011 13th World Championships Singapore 2nd placeNetball at the Commonwealth Games Year Games Event Location Placing 1998 XVI Games 1st Netball Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2nd place2002 XVII Games 2nd Netball Manchester, England 2nd place2006 XVIII Games 3rd Netball Melbourne, Australia Champions2010 XIX Games 4th Netball Delhi, India ChampionsWorld Netball Series Year Tournament Location Placing 2009 1st World Series Manchester, England Champions2010 2nd World Series Liverpool, England ChampionsNetball at the World Games Year Games Event Location Placing 1985 2nd World Games 1st Netball London, England Champions1989 3rd World Games 2nd Netball Karlsruhe, Germany Champions1993 4th World Games 3rd Netball The Hague, Netherlands 2nd placePlayers
2011 Silver Ferns
Name Positions 2011 ANZ Championship team Leana de Bruin GK, GD Southern Steel Paula Griffin GS, GA Southern Steel Joline Henry GD, GK, WD Northern Mystics Laura Langman (capt.) WD, C, WA Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic Liana Leota WA, C Southern Steel Anna Scarlett GK, GD, WD Northern Mystics Anna Thompson GA, WA Canterbury Tactix Maria Tutaia GA, GS Northern Mystics Irene van Dyk (vc) GS, GA Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic Kayla Cullen GD, WD Northern Mystics Catherine Latu GS Northern Mystics Sulu Tone-Fitzpatrick GD, GK Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic - Other 2011 Players
- Temepara George (retired from international duties after world championships)
- Casey Williams (injured)
- Katrina Grant (injured)
Notable past players
- Belinda Charteris, MNZM
- Jenny-May Coffin: current Sports News Presenter for TVNZ.
- Belinda Colling: double international, representing New Zealand in basketball and netball
- Vilimaina Davu: former Fijian national team coach
- April Ieremia: former New Zealand television personality
- Bernice Mene, MNZM
- Lois Muir, DCNZM
- Lesley Rumball (née Nicol): formerly most capped Silver Ferns player
- Julie Seymour (née Dawson), MNZM: captain 2002, 08–09
- Anna Stanley (née Rowberry): current television commentator
- Waimarama Taumaunu, MBE
- Louisa Wall: became an MP in 2008
- Donna Wilkins (née Loffhagen): double international, representing New Zealand in basketball and netball
- Adine Wilson (née Harper): captain 2005–07
See also
References
- ^ Wilson, John (2007-09-23). "Government and nation – Wearing the silver fern". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealandInBrief/GovernmentAndNation/9/ENZ-Resources/Standard/7/en. Retrieved 2008-09-17.
- ^ a b "Current World rankings". International Federation of Netball Associations. http://www.netball.org/IFNA.aspx?id=94. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
- ^ "Aitken Unavailable, Silver Ferns with New Coach". 3News. http://www.3news.co.nz/Aitken-unavailable-Silver-Ferns-with-new-coach/tabid/415/articleID/229050/Default.aspx. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
- ^ a b c d e f g "History". Netball New Zealand. http://www.netballnz.co.nz/default.aspx?s=History. Retrieved 2007-11-23.
- ^ "Pulse vs Melbourne Vixens ANZ Netball Championship" (Press release). Louisa Wall, MP. 2008-04-05. http://www.labour.org.nz/our_mps/louisa_wall/speech/05042008_pulse_vs_melbourne_vixens_anz_netball_championship_louisa_wall.html. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
- ^ a b c d e Coatsworth, Leona Mary (2007-09-18). "Basketball, Women's Outdoor". An Encyclopedia of New Zealand 1966 (A. H. McLintock, ed.). http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/1966/B/BasketballWomensOutdoor/en. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
- ^ "New Zealand in 1907 – Dominion status". New Zealand History online. Ministry for Culture and Heritage (New Zealand). 2008-09-22. http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/politics/dominion-day/nz-in-1907. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
- ^ Silver Ferns Press Release (2008-08-22). "Silver Ferns Team Named". Scoop. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0808/S00244.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
- ^ Granville, Alan (2005-06-27). "Silver Ferns v Australia history". tvnz.co.nz. http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411317/594333. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
- ^ a b c "Silver Ferns History". Netball New Zealand. http://www.netballnz.co.nz/default.aspx?s=silver_ferns_history&id=66376. Retrieved 2008-09-18.
- ^ Johannsen, Dana (2008-09-19). "Netball's long road to equality". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/netball/news/article.cfm?c_id=69&objectid=10533003. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
- ^ "Silver Ferns out rate All Blacks". tvnz.co.nz. 2008-09-18. http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/2087909. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
- ^ NZPA (2009-10-12). "Silver Ferns win World Series". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10602718. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
- ^ Leggat, David; Cleaver, Dylan (2010-10-15). "Golden Ferns win thriller against Oz". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/commonwealth-games/news/article.cfm?c_id=508&objectid=10680690. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
External links
International netball History · Rules · Netball around the world · International Federation of Netball Associations
World Championships · World Youth Championships · Commonwealth Games · World Netball Series · IFNA World Rankings · TeamsOceania 
Africa Confederation of African Netball AssociationsEurope Federation of European Netball AssociationsAsia Americas Americas Federation of Netball AssociationsOther Associate membersNational netball teams of Oceania National sports teams of New Zealand A1 GP · Association football (soccer) (M, U-23, U-20, U-17, W, WU-20, WU-17) · Australian rules football · Badminton · Baseball · Basketball (M, W) · Beach soccer · Commonwealth Games · Cricket (M, W) · Field Hockey (M, W) · Futsal (M, W) · Handball · Ice Hockey (M, U-20, W) · Korfball · Olympics · Paralympics · Netball · Rugby League (M, W) · Rugby Union (M, W, M7, W7) · Softball (M, W) · Tennis (M, W) · Volleyball (M, W) · Water polo (M, W) · Wheelchair rugbyCategories:- National sports teams of New Zealand
- New Zealand netball teams
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