Of women, by women, for women: How coaches and captains created a caring and winning culture in the New Zealand netball team

There is a paucity of research on high performance female sport, and in particular, through the perspectives of those in leadership positions such as the team coach and captain. Netball is New Zealand’s most popular team sport in terms of participation. Uniquely, women are the main participants: players, coaches, umpires, and administrators. This article reflects on ways in which the women leaders of the New Zealand national netball team, the Silver Ferns, created their team culture. That culture has similarities with other elite sport teams, for example focusing on winning, but perhaps a point of difference is the prominence given to a caring culture. Analysis of semi-structured interviews with ten former captains and coaches charts the development of the evolving nature of this culture over three distinct eras of the game. It highlights the transition of a culture that was amateur in nature and autocratic in governance to a professional empowering context. It concludes that ultimately the culture is proving to be successful on court without sacrificing values of care and respect for all team members on and off the court. The implications are for teams of women, led by women, and for women’s sport culture.