KIA Magic Assistant Coach Appointment

The Netball Waikato Bay of Plenty Zone is pleased to announce the appointment of Margaret Forsyth as Kia Magic assistant coach.

Forsyth brings a lifetime of experience in netball to the role as a former outstanding national and international representative, a current Silver Ferns selector, as well as holding various coaching positions including the recent announcement that she will be head coach of the Hamilton City team to compete at the Lion Foundation Championships in Dunedin later this year.

Her involvement outside netball extends to a career in the police and she is currently serving as a Hamilton City councillor. Forsyth’s sporting career also covered national level basketball and athletics and brings with her those experiences and networks.

Kia Magic head coach Julie Fitzgerald said she was delighted to have Forsyth’s mana, experience and local knowledge involved in the coaching set-up both within the Kia Magic environment as well as in the zone.

“I am looking forward to working with Margaret in building a formidable squad as well as continuing to develop netball coaches and players within the Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Gisborne areas,” Fitzgerald said.

Netball Waikato Bay of Plenty Zone Chairman John Wiltshire said it is important that the future of the netball zone was paramount when considering the appointment of people to key roles.

Forsyth is a former Netball Waikato Bay of Plenty Zone Board member who, after the sudden resignation of Noeline Taurua, decided to further her coaching career and formally resigned from the Board on June 16, eight days before the coach interviews.

To form this coaching team that Fitzgerald will lead, Netball New Zealand (NNZ) has rules for a non-New Zealander to be acceptable to them so the zone had to outline a structure and a process whereby a New Zealand coach needed to be part of the coaching team.

The ‘plan’ was presented to NNZ on Wednesday, June 26 and accepted on Monday, July 1. The Zone Board also has plans to have a broader group of New Zealand coaches in the zone who will be educated by Fitzgerald and Forsyth in and around the Kia Magic season to become involved in coaching the zone’s age groups teams and in the Centres where partnerships can be agreed.

Forsyth’s appointment was not announced at the same time as Fitzgerald’s ensuring the value of Fitzgerald to the Kia Magic team and zone could be fully appreciated and to give time for the pair to meet.

“We are continuing to build a team of people with high standards, considerable experience, netball knowledge and an understanding of the local issues with a focus on doing the best we can at Kia Magic level (within salary caps and related parameters) as well as developing more quality coaches in our zone,’’ Netball Waikato Bay of Plenty CEO Tim Hamilton said.

``Margaret is an iconic figure in netball, a lady with values and principles that fit the zone’s purpose values and principles framework perfectly. We are delighted to have Margaret involved.”

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