In 1924 netball was being played on grass fields and asphalt courts, the uniform of the day was gym frocks and black stockings with nine players a side.
Netball has a rich history in Aotearoa, the tapestry of change in the game has not only reflected the development of the sport, but also the changing role of women in society.
Now in 2024, Netball New Zealand celebrates its centenary, the first association in the world to reach that milestone.
Netball was first called women's basketball in the early 1900s.
While the name changed to netball, the game’s popularity stayed constant. In the 1920s netball became the number one sport for women and girls in Aotearoa, and still is today.
University of Auckland's Margaret Henley delved into the history and cultural trends of the sport in New Zealand.
The netball committee began in 1924, Henley said.
"It really got underway just around the first world war. They set up the association in 1924, then by 27, it was the national game for girls. It leaped over the top of hockey, which up till then was the major sport for women.
"The women who were in the centenary committee, there were three main players in there, Irene McInnes, Betty Armstrong and Myrtle Muir. And they had a very strong vision, but what they had was a very deep commitment to the welfare of girls, young girls and women."
One of the original handbooks from 1936 revealed how the game’s evolved.
"The rules then were that you stayed in your quarter. You couldn't contact anybody. Well, you shouldn't contact anybody. But there was no three-foot rule so that you could stand right up close to someone you know, sort of eyeball to eyeball but you just couldn't touch them."
The game moved from nine aside to seven aside, from a basket to hoop.
But at its core, netball is about connection.
“It's about friendship, it’s about lifelong friendships. it's about being part of the team. It's about looking after one another. Understanding one another, building up a rapport with one another on the court and off the court,” Henley said.
Edge stands out
Henley has interviewed 300-400 women from the courts, but one stood out - former Silver Ferns captain Sandra Edge.
She trialled for the national team back in 1982 for three years, and by 1985 she made the team.
Edge represented the Silver Ferns at three world championships, winning in 1987.
“We were challenged, that's for sure," Edge said.
"But we went through the whole tournament, and no team came within 11 goals of us. So you know, the final, we beat Trinidad and Tobago quite convincingly, we'd beaten Australia on the way. We've beaten England on the way so yeah, it was just a dream run to be fair."
Edge went on to become the 17th Silver Ferns captain, leading the team in 21 tests between 1994 and 1995.
“That responsibility sort of sat quite heavily," she said.
"I did feel the weight on my shoulders and wanted really desperately to do well for the the team in New Zealand."
Crowds grew in the '90s, and netball teams moved from concrete courts to stadiums.
Edge hung up the black dress after the Silver Ferns finished third at the 1995 world championship.
A year later Temepara George joined the Silver Ferns squad - a long way from playing as a seven-year-old on a supermarket carpark in Māngere
"My first experience of getting the call up to go on, I think we were down by 15. I thought, 'oh my God, we got to create a miracle'.
"We didn't, we didn't create that miracle.
“It was a great experience, going on and being beaten by that much and experiencing something that I didn't want to feel ever again."
At the 2003 world championship final against Australia, George was sent off in the final quarter, something labelled "unheard of".
“I got the ball and I fell to the ground and then I just heard this whistle and I went 'oh, no, she's not' and she's like, 'you're off'.
"It felt like a lifetime sitting in that chair."
Remarkably, the Ferns went on to win.
"There's a lot of mana behind the Silver Fern and what it means," an emotional George said.
“You wear a Silver Fern when you're playing, but you wear it all the time. You've been a Silver Fern, it's just like this invisible fern on your chest. So, I think that's really really special. And not many people get to do that. I'm just so honoured and grateful and proud to have represented New Zealand.”
The Silver Fern, a symbol that represents the very best in New Zealand netball is now proudly 100 years old.
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