Which New Zealand netball school has produced the most Silver Ferns? Photo montage/ Andrew Louis
For a century, netball has dominated as one of the most watched and played sports in New Zealand.
Predominantly played by females, Kiwis have grown to love the seven-a-side game, from starting as a 5-year-old at primary school, watching your kid on the sideline on a winter Saturday morning, to cheering at the TV as the Silver Ferns clinch another World Cup trophy.
At the secondary school level, netball boasts higher participation numbers than any other sport, including rugby, basketball, and football. In 2024, Netball New Zealand recorded 34,120 registered high school players, marking an 11% increase from the previous year.
For some, playing at high school is just the beginning, as numerous participating schools have produced athletes who have gone on to represent the Silver Ferns.
As the sport celebrates its 100th year in Aotearoa, the Herald has mapped the schools of every Kiwi to represent the Silver Ferns. The interactive graphic below allows netballers and fans to see how their school ranks, showcasing which schools can claim the ultimate bragging rights.
Auckland Girls’ Grammar School (AGGS) based in central Tāmaki Makaurau claims top spot producing seven Silver Ferns with a combined 364 appearances, dating back 76 years.
Beverley Malcolm was the first Auckland Girls’ Grammar student to wear the fern in 1948, and the most recent was Phoenix Karaka who played in October’s Constellation Cup versus Australia.
AGGS principal Ngaire Ashmore told the Herald she’s really proud to have that pedigree come through the school.
“I think Auckland Girls’ has had a proud history of developing and producing top-class people and we certainly are wanting to continue to do that.”
Ashmore said netball is the school’s most played sport, and despite its success, still relies heavily on volunteers.
“It relies on an amazing community that just wants to put their hands up and help and support these young women who want to continue to grow their skills at all levels.”
Ashmore confirmed that Mount Albert Grammar School (MAGS) is one of their biggest schoolings rivals.
“There is a really friendly rivalry. MAGS is about three times bigger than our school but there is the sense that we’re going to go out there and we’re going to have the best game against MAGS.”
MAGS - based not far up the road from AGGS - comes second behind their rivals, boasting five New Zealand senior representatives for a total of 232 caps.
Silver Fern Maria Folau (nee Tutaia) attended MAGS along with current players Maia Wilson and Maddy Gordon. Folau has 150 caps.
Wellington Girls’ College has produced the most talent outside of New Zealand’s biggest region, including 70-test midcourter Gina Crampton.
South African Schools have also produced some of our best Silver Ferns including Irene van Dyk (nee Viljoen) (145 caps), Leana de Bruin (nee du Plooy) (104) and Karin Burger (60).
Current New Zealand captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio (nee Wells) went to school in Australia.
Former Fern and current NNZ participation manager van Dyk told the Herald that school netball is “vital”.
“In a team sport, they learn that camaraderie and the fact that they can work together and, you know, you don’t lose on your own - you have your friends with you.
“Playing school netball - it’s the physical and the mental growth that happens and to do that with your peers is always nice because they can bounce things off one another.
“And the social and emotional benefits that they have when they play secondary school ... for the holistic growth, it is incredibly important.
“Having ex-Silver Ferns and people that stay in the game, it shows that the game is not only a game that you play once - it’s in your blood, it stays there and it is our ability to give back to the community.
“You want netballers to see their role models and you want them to get in contact and be able to tap into their knowledge.”
While van Dyk went to South African school Dr Malan High School in Meyerton, her daughter Bianca attended and played netball for Wellington Girls’ College.
“What I’ve seen at Wellington Girls’ is they really look after the wellbeing of the players and they really encourage - not only to play one sport but actually have the ability to take part in all different kinds of sports.
“They really want to make sure that the development and the earliest stages are on point.”
Former Silver Fern and current under-21 New Zealand coach Julie Seymour said it’s “challenging” when it comes to selecting players at high school level.
“It’s making sure that you are not cutting people out of the equation early. You’ve got to be really open minded that people are going to grow and develop and come to our sport at different ages and stages of their career.”
Seymour explained what selectors want to see at secondary school level.
“You’re looking at the generic athletic ability - their ability to run, jump land, catch a ball, throw a ball. If they’re a shooter, their shooting technique.
“I like to look at people’s character. How do they interact with their teammates? What’s their engagement level like? What’s their ability to read what’s going on in the game, and are they just doing the same thing over and over... [Or] have they got their ability to maybe change something up?
“You can’t help but be drawn to size. Obviously, there’s benefits in our sport with size.
“I don’t want to discriminate against smaller people, though, because there’s definitely a place for them in our sport as well.”
Nicky Cattermoul, NNZ’s pathway programmes manager, confirmed that attending a top netball school is not the “be-all and end-all”.
“There is talent across the board, there that’s the beauty. When we select 90 athletes to come into the netball National Development camp, you know, they come from all around the country which is really, really exciting.
“It’s just the first step in the pathway - all of these players grow and develop at different, different rates.
“You do have Silver Ferns who have never made the New Zealand Secondary Schools team or the under-21 teams, but have still become a Silver Fern.”
Bonnie Jansen is a multimedia journalist in the NZME sports team. She’s a football commentator and co-host of the Football Fever podcast, and was part of the Te Rito cadetship scheme before becoming a fulltime journalist.
The Players Association wants a new broadcast deal in place by the end of July.