- ‘If netball wasn’t around, I wouldn’t know who I was’.
England’s netball squad is in New Zealand this week for three matches against the hosts and they have a new face at the helm.
A youthful squad, featuring none of the side who reached the World Cup final in August, is being led by technical coach Liana Leota, with head coach Jess Thirlby taking a back seat for the series.
Leota brings a lot of sporting experience as a former New Zealand international, and a Commonwealth gold medal winner, whose husband Johnny played rugby union for Samoa.
She nearly has a netball team of her own too, with five children, four of them girls. Incredibly, none of them seem to be wanting to follow in her footsteps.
“It’s crazy – I have four girls and none of them play netball,” says Leota.
“They watched the semi-final of the World Cup and the start of the final and that was it.”
Born and raised in New Zealand, with 41 Silver Ferns caps under her belt, Leota knows what it means to represent your country at the highest level.
So when the opportunity came to lead the Roses at a series in her home country, she could not say no.
“It’s a huge honour. There are not many people that get to coach the national team so I take it with pride,” she said.
“I was raised around a netball court – my mum drove me to all her netball games, my sisters and I played in the same team – netball is part of me.
“It’s been 20 years in this environment so if netball wasn’t about, I wouldn’t know who Liana Leota was. That’s just who I am.”
After husband Johnny joined Sale Sharks, Leota left New Zealand and adopted Manchester as her home in 2015, joining Super League team Manchester Thunder while also raising their five children.
The 38-year-old said it was “natural” for her to have children – the oldest of which is 21 and the youngest five – then return to the court.
“I grew up that way – that was part of our culture to have children and carry on and netball has always been that release for me. As a mother, you need the time for yourself and mental space,” she said.
“Our eldest daughter Brooklyn has been a part of this whole journey – she saw me make my Silver Ferns debut so it was nice for her to be a part of it.
“The other kids just read about it or look at me on Google!”
Leota left Thunder after four years and took on a player-coach role at Severn Stars before becoming head coach at Leeds Rhinos alongside her role with the Roses.
Her husband and children are unable to join her in New Zealand because of school but she said getting them to take an interest in netball has not been easy.
“Rugby union and rugby league rule our house but for me that’s nice because I just get to sit and actually be a mum,” she said.
“Maybe when they’re a bit older, they might pick up netball but I’m not fussed as long as they’re active and love sports.”
