She’s one of New Zealand’s most loved netball legends, but Irene van Dyk’s view of the netball court looks a little different than when she pulled on the little black dress for the Silver Ferns.
Now it has a hula-hoop for a goal, and she has to crouch her 1.93m frame as small as possible to talk to her little team of five- and six-year-olds. It’s about as far away from the Ferns as you can get – and she can’t get enough of it.
“Honestly, I didn’t even know it was possible to love netball any more than I did when I was playing, but I really do,” Irene, 50, says with a big smile.
While her team of future Ferns don’t quite appreciate the magnitude of who their superstar coach is – “They just think I’m a very tall lady!” – it’s certainly quite the experience for parents when they turn up to play Irene’s kids for the first time!
Since hanging up her goal- shoot bib in 2014, supporting grassroots netball has grown into her passion, culminating with her role as Participation Manager of Youth for Netball NZ. “This is my dream job,” she enthuses. “The joy I get watching young kids discover our game is just beyond everything. Netball means so much to New Zealand. It’s so much more than a game – it’s connection; it’s community.”
It’s also an area she knows plenty about. “One of my first-ever netball memories is playing barefoot on grass courts in South Africa. I remember every Saturday morning the parents would have soup before and after the game because our feet would be absolutely frozen.”
Irene incognito. The kids she trains “just think I’m a very tall lady”!
Today, netball is the most played and most watched women’s sport in New Zealand – in fact, it’s the number-one sport played in Aotearoa’s secondary schools. But Irene, who has just been named as Netball New Zealand’s centenary ambassador in preparation for celebrations next year, says there’s huge potential for growth, especially for non-female players.
“There’s opportunities for everyone,” she tells. “I’ve definitely seen an increase in all genders playing, which is fantastic for the game. But it does have a special place in the hearts of women and we definitely want to celebrate that as well.”
More than 130,000 people play netball across New Zealand, whether that’s socially, competitively or informally, with 20 million involved across the world.
Irene accepted a long time ago that she would never not be involved with netball – not that she’d ever want to step away from the game that gave her “so much”. And now her 25-year-old daughter Bianca is involved too, working for Hawke’s Bay Netball.
“Oh, I’m not going anywhere – it’s in the blood!” she tells. “But I think that’s the same for a lot of people in New Zealand. It brings communities together. Saturdays across the country are shaped by heading down to the netball courts. Sport teaches kids so much more than just physical stuff. It’s the teamwork and the chance to be part of something special.”
And when asked what it is about netball that she still loves, four decades on from when she first played as a lanky barefoot kid in South Africa, Irene has a simple answer – belonging.
“It’s the sense that you belong to something much bigger than you,” she says. “So many have gone before you and others will come after who will keep shaping the game.
I look at my little ones and know that our future looks absolutely fantastic, and that there will always be a place for them to come and play the game they love.
“We’re celebrating 100 years of netball in New Zealand next year – and we want people to play for another hundred because it just brings so much joy to so many people. When it comes to legacies, it doesn’t get much better than that.”
100 years of Netball in New Zealand
In 2024, Netball New Zealand will celebrate 100 years of netball in Aotearoa – the first country in the world to do so. Netball has led the way for women’s sport for the last century – here are some of the highlights…
1898
Teacher Jessie Knapp forms a basketball club, holding regular competition between the boarders and the day girls at The Girls’ College Wanganui.
1906
Netball was first introduced on New Zealand’s shores as seven-a-side women’s basketball. Surviving evidence suggests three bounces of the ball was allowed and wicker baskets were used as goals.
1924
The New Zealand Basketball Association (later renamed Netball New Zealand) is first established.
1938
The first New Zealand team is named, with Margaret Matangi becoming the first Silver Fern. There have now been 183.
1963
The first World Tournament is held in Britain with 11 participating countries. The Silver Ferns travelled to the UK and back by boat, with each voyage lasting six weeks. Starting the long and hard-fought rivalry, Australia beat New Zealand 37-36 to claim the title.
1967
New Zealand wins our first World Tournament title, remaining undefeated and beating Australia 40-34 to claim the title.
1979, 1987, 2003
The Silver Ferns take out the pinnacle international competition. The title was shared between New Zealand, Australia and Trinidad & Tobago in 1979 due to all three teams finishing on equal points
at the end of the competition.
2019
A golden year for Netball New Zealand following a disappointing 2018, where the Ferns slumped to a fourth-place finish at the Commonwealth Games. A gold medal at the World Cup, led by the inspirational Dame Noeline Taurua against all odds, with the
Ferns again beating Australia by one goal.
