Netball in Samoa

Overview of the ball sport in Samoa
Netball in Samoa
CountrySamoa
National team(s)Samoa

Netball in Samoa is a popular game, usually played by girls on Saturdays during the winter, though games can be played at all times of the year.[1] The sport started to grow in popularity during the 1970s.[2] The popularity of netball is also growing amongst men on the island.[1]

International competition

Samoa and Fiji are traditional netball rivals. This rivalry can be seen at events like Pacific Games.[1]

As of August 2016, the women's national team was ranked fourteen in the world.[3]

Samoa has a men's national team that has competed in the 2009 and 2011 International Challenge Men's and Mixed Netball Tournament.[4]

At Gay Games VI, a transgender netball from Samoa competed.[5]

Notable players

Rita Fatialofa is a Samoan netball player, who later went on to compete on New Zealand's national team. She became the coach for the Samoan national team, qualifying them for every Pacific Games,[6] as well as 1991 and 1995 Netball World Championships.[7] Cathrine Latu is another famous Samoan player who went on to play for New Zealand.

References

  1. ^ a b c MacKinnon 2009, p. 51
  2. ^ Lal & Fortune 2000, p. 458
  3. ^ International Netball Federation. "Current World Rankings". Last updated 20 August 2016.
  4. ^ Samoa Observer 2011
  5. ^ Symons & Hemphill 2006, p. 122
  6. ^ Lal & Fortune 2000, p. 462
  7. ^ SportingPulse profile

Bibliography

  • Crocombe, R G (1992). Pacific neighbours : New Zealand's relations with other Pacific Islands : Aotearoa me Nga Moutere o te Moana Nui a Kiwa. Centre for Pacific Studies, University of Canterbury : Institute of Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific. ISBN 982-02-0078-4. OCLC 28814021.
  • International Federation of Netball Associations (21 January 2011a). "Current World Rankings". Archived from the original on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
  • Lal, Brij Vilash; Fortune, Kate (2000). The Pacific islands : an encyclopedia. University of Hawai'i press. ISBN 0-8248-2265-X. OCLC 468583962.
  • MacKinnon, Rowan (2009). South Pacific [the only guide to the entire South Pacific]. Lonely Planet. ISBN 978-1-74104-786-8. OCLC 610105853.
  • Samoa Observer (28 February 2011). "A journey of a thousand miles begins for Samoa national men's netball team". Samoa Observer. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
  • Symons, Carol; Hemphill, Dennis (November 2006). "Netball and transgender participation". In Caudwell, Jayne (ed.). Sport, sexualities and queer/theory. Routledge Critical Studies in Sport. Routledge. pp. 122–124. ISBN 0-415-36761-1.

External links

  • Oceania Sport