Margaret Foster: Former Silver Fern on Netball NZ updating eligibility criteria for overseas-based players

Netball NZ is opening the door to overseas-based Silver Ferns. 

They’ve updated their eligibility criteria, which means overseas players can be considered for national selection through a formal exemption process.  

Former Silver Fern Margaret Foster told Ryan Bridge that to represent your country on a national level, regardless of where they’re playing in the world. 

She says the best competition is currently in Australia, so playing overseas allows athletes to improve before bringing back their new skills to represent their country. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
New Zealand's netball team is about to get a serious upgrade.
The Netball New Zealand Bord is voted to update its
eligibility criteria. This is for silver Ferns. It means that
if you are an overseas based athlete you can still
play for the national team. This is a text from
one of our listeners this morning, Ryan. No coincidence that
Netball New Zealand have changed the goalpost this year since

(00:21):
they lost their best goal shooting Grace Noiki to the
Aussie League and won't let her be eligible for selection here.
She's also not eligible for Australia. It's a no brainer.
Joining me this morning is Margaret Foster, former Silver Fern
and former coach of the Canterbury Fames and the Southern
Steel Margaret, good morning, Good morning. So what do you
make of this change?

Speaker 2 (00:42):
Well, yay, of course, yeah, without a doubt. I mean,
you know rips in your country. You need to have
your best athletes surely, regardless of where they're playing it
in the world. And yeah, no, I think it's brilliant.

Speaker 1 (00:57):
Is the What was the rationale was to build a
better depth here in New Zealand. What was it?

Speaker 2 (01:05):
Well, Originally it was I don't know if you remember,
but back in the day when Laura Langman was over
in Australia playing and she was not eligible to be
in the New Zealand team or to make the World
Cup team, and they kind of had to do an
exception for her. Back then, I think it was really
about trying to build our base and ensure that our

(01:29):
athletes were staying here in the country to play netball.
But it just look, you need to if you want
to be playing like top level netboard. The best competition
is in Australia at the moment.

Speaker 1 (01:44):
Does this potentially make that situation worse in a way
by making their competition stronger? If you know, if you
don't need to be in New Zealand to play for
the Silver Ferns, then I suppose why would you.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Yeah, well, at the end of the that that competition
over in Australia has got all the top athletes, so
you know, so your week in leak out playing with
the best and against the best, Like you know, you've
got the Jamaicans, You've got the English, you've got the
South Africans, are all all the top athletes are over

(02:20):
there playing, so you know, it can only actually make
you a better athletes as well, and then you can
come back and represent your country and bring in that
wonderful form that you've got from playing as an a.

Speaker 1 (02:32):
Level the club teams do we have a competition that's
you know Trans Tasman.

Speaker 2 (02:39):
No, And that's the biggest thing is that we really
need to get back into that competition over in Australia,
Like you know, it's that's that's our biggest thing. I think,
you know, like we've we've trialed, we've gone our separate
ways and it doesn't really work if you're looking if
you're looking at the product that we've got in New Zealand.

Speaker 1 (03:03):
I just don't know.

Speaker 2 (03:04):
I just think it's it would be much better if
we try to get back into that competition.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
Yeah, it sounds like we would all benefit from it.
Mag Thank you. That's Margaret Foster, a former Silver Fern,
former Canterbury Fames and Southern Steel coach, talking on the
change to the eligibility criteria for from Netball end Z
for the Silver Ferns. So there you go. Be good
news for any you know hot not hot, I mean

(03:33):
late impressive netballers who are living overseas in Australia right now,
including Grace and RICKI. For more from Early Edition with
Ryan Bridge. Listen live to news talks. It'd be from
five am weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio