A landmark year for Pacific netball

Across Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands – Pacific netball is on the rise. From grassroots competitions to international tournaments, talented athletes, coaches and umpires are competing, leading and inspiring – with PacificAus Sports ensuring they have the opportunities and support they need to realise their full potential.

Building a strong foundation for umpires

PacificAus Sports in partnership with Netball Australia is working closely with netball federations across the Pacific to strengthen the game from every angle — not only by supporting players, but also by building up the skills and confidence of umpires and coaches. These leaders are critical to the sport’s success, ensuring matches are fair, safe and professional while setting the standard for the future growth of the game.

This year’s umpire development activities in Fiji and Samoa reflected that vision. In August, the 2025 Fiji Men’s Invitational championship held in Suva doubled as a live training ground, with Netball Australia facilitators Claire Kleinschmidt and Emily Green mentoring and assessing aspiring officials. Several umpires achieved new B badge and C badge qualifications, while others took to the court to gain international match experience.

“As umpires, we show our love for the game by providing a fair playing ground for everyone on court,” said Green. “There’s no money, no glory, no fame — it’s about passion.”

Later that month, a six-day professional development program in Samoa expanded regional capacity further. The program was led by Kleinschmidt, along with Tim Marshall, an Australian umpire of Samoan heritage, who was this year awarded international umpire status.

“Umpiring has grown immensely in the Pacific over the past few years,” reflected Tim after a development workshop held back in May. “When I first started working in this program, there were really no accredited umpires. The development from then to now is enormous and it’s just going to continue to grow.”

For Sport Development Coordinator Jordan Lameta, the week-long program in August was a turning point.

“I hope that the support, training and mentoring continues [so that] umpiring here in Samoa and in the Pacific region will continue to grow. Onwards and upwards. The sky is the limit. We have tapped into the potential and now we have to go full steam ahead!”

Investing in coaches and leadership

In 2025, PacificAus Sports has been instrumental in supporting Pacific coaches not only to prepare their national teams for success, but to grow as leaders with the insight and skills to drive the game’s growth in the years ahead.

In September, Pacific coaches travelled to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) for a unique professional development program. Led by some of Australia’s most experienced figures, including Julie Fitzgerald AM, Jon Fletcher, and Origin Australian Diamonds Head Coach, Stacey Marinkovich, the program focused on leadership, athlete wellbeing, strength and conditioning, and building team culture.

“Sharing your experiences and hearing you’re not alone, that’s the strength of learning together,” said Marinkovich, who hosted a dedicated Q&A session with the Pacific coaches.

For participants like Vaiti Waqatabu, recently-retired captain of the Fiji Pearls and now assistant coach with the junior Baby Pearls team, the experience was transformative.

“This week has been an amazing learning environment, very educational. Now I understand the coaching perspective.”

Helen Edwards, assistant coach of the PNG Pepes, agreed.

“This has been a great opportunity to be among top coaches and experience hands-on training and grow my knowledge as a coach.”

The program also placed emphasis on cultural safety, with Netball Australia’s First Nations Engagement Lead, Beryl Friday, leading a session on creating inclusive environments.

Samoa’s Jordan Lameta highlighted the importance of this perspective.

“A key takeaway has been that your players are people before they’re athletes. A lot of the time we expect them to turn up and perform, but we don’t always think about what they could be going through at home, work, or school.”

Introducing young talent to the world

In recent years, PacificAus Sports and Netball Australia have been working with national federations to make sure the talented athletes and coaches of the regional netball community have the preparation, resources and exposure they need to compete – and succeed – on the world stage.

In 2025, those efforts were celebrated at the Netball World Youth Cup in Gibraltar, where under-21 teams from Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, showcased their determination and flair against the best in the world.

Their success was built on a long pathway of support — from Oceania Regional Qualifiers in Rarotonga in 2024, to the annual PacificAus Sports Netball Series, and initiatives including the Rising Stars: Fiji U21 tour.

Each of these opportunities, backed by PacificAus Sports in partnership with Netball Australia and local federations, has been designed to give young athletes access to high-performance coaching and the experience of elite-level play.

For Sayonara (Nara) Alaalatoa, who plays with Samoa’s Tifa Moana, the pathway was critical in preparing for the mental demands of international competition.

“The Pacific Netball Series prepared me well,” she said. “It made me mentally ready for this year’s qualifiers.”

Making history with the Tala-Tutone tour

In the next few weeks, history will be made in Tonga as the national team, the Tala, hosts the Australian Pathways team on home soil during the Tala-Tutone international netball tour, running 31 October to 3 November.

The event forms part of Tonga’s national celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of its Constitution, referred to locally as the ‘Konisitutone’, or simply ‘Tutone’. The tour was named by Her Majesty Queen Nanasipau’u, in recognition of the team’s successes and the nation’s historic strength, while also honouring songs composed by the Queen’s mother, Her Late Majesty Queen Sālote Tupou III.

For Salote Sisifa, CEO of the Tonga Netball Association and President of Oceania Netball Federation, the moment is deeply significant.

“This opportunity for the Tala to have a home game, playing with the Australian Pathways athletes in Tonga, is something that’s not only incredibly exciting but also a historic moment for our country. For our national team to play in front of our home crowd…just thinking about it, I get goosebumps.”

Currently ranked ninth in the world, the Tonga Tala are four-time winners of the PacificAus Sports Netball Series. The upcoming matches in Nuku’alofa will not only test their skill against rising Australian players but also bring netball to the heart of their community, with school visits and cultural exchanges reinforcing the power of sport to unite people.

Looking ahead to Sydney 2027

From the growth of umpiring and coaching programs, to the achievements of youth players and the excitement of the Tala-Tutone tour, 2025 has been a landmark year for Pacific netball – and the story is still unfolding.

With Australia set to host the Netball World Cup Sydney 2027 series, the opportunities now being created for Pacific athletes, coaches, and umpires are laying the foundations for even greater representation on the global stage.