Will to Win

Insights and revelations from some of the legends of New Zealand netball. This book is a fascinating deep-dive into the development of the Silver Ferns’ traditions, the evolution of team culture and the nuts-and-bolts of leadership at an elite level. Legendary players and coaches — including Lois Muir, Leigh Gibbs, Bernice Mene, Ruth Aitken and Casey Kopua — candidly discuss the highs and lows of their careers, and of the Silver Ferns, the effect of the intense rivalry with Australia, coping with gut-wrenching losses, and the resilience of players and coaches. For the first time the perspective of these key actors is the subject of serious analysis, and Will to Win offers a real insight into the psychology of a women’s high-performance team. As such, it provides a practical guide for developing team culture and leadership for netball coaches at all levels. It also includes comments from Farah Palmer on women in sport and leadership, and a brief history of New Zealand netball, including the gains and losses as netball moved into a semi-professional era, and the struggles for sponsorship and for media recognition, despite it being New Zealand’s most popular team sport.