In Remembrance: Ana Noovao

Silver Fern #88

Netball New Zealand is deeply saddened by the passing of former Silver Ferns captain Ana Noovao.

Ana died peacefully on Sunday 9 August in Rockhampton, Queensland, after a long illness, surrounded by her family and loved ones aged 58.

A gifted attacker with natural creativity and a beautiful feed, Ana was marked for the black dress early. She toured Canada with the New Zealand Young Internationals in 1986 and captained the New Zealand Under-21 side at the 1987 World Youth Championships before making her Silver Ferns debut against Australia in April 1989, aged 21.

Her rise was quick and the following year Ana was promoted to vice-captain. In 1991 she was part of the Silver Ferns side that lost the World Championship final to Australia by a single goal, one of the most agonising results in the team's history.

When Waimarama Taumaunu retired in 1992, Ana was named the 15th captain of the Silver Ferns. She played 23 tests in black across four seasons, wearing centre, wing attack and wing defence, and was known throughout for a calm temperament that steadied those around her.

Ana was proud of her Cook Islands heritage and went on to play for the Cook Islands, before coaching the national side to seventh place at the 2007 World Netball Championships in Auckland, an extraordinary result for a nation of fewer than 20,000 people.

Her coaching reached far beyond the international stage. Generations of South Auckland schoolgirls came through her sessions at local schools, and after moving to Queensland she kept playing and kept building the game in her new community.

"Ana carried the captaincy of the Silver Ferns with real grace, and she gave the game back far more than it ever asked of her, as a player, as a coach, and as a leader for Cook Islands netball," said Netball New Zealand President Dr. Tina Karaitiana. 

"Our thoughts are with her family, her teammates and everyone she taught along the way."

Ana is survived by her four children, and her husband Patrick Kaiti Teinaki who she shared a strong and happy marriage with.

Netball New Zealand extends its aroha to Ana's whānau, her friends and the wider netball community, in Aotearoa, the Cook Islands and Australia.