Netball New Zealand has announced Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel’s long-serving physiotherapist Corina Ngatuere, will take on the role with the national Under 21 team.
Ngatuere has been with the Steel since 2013 and has been confirmed to provide physio services for the New Zealand U21 side leading in to next year’s Netball World Youth Cup in Fiji.
Her role with the side begins this week when the squad and head coach Yvette McCausland-Durie meet at the New Zealand Police College in Wellington for a four-day national camp.
Ngatuere, who owns and operates a small physiotherapy clinic in Invercargill, has worked with national teams before having been called on as physiotherapist for Fast5 campaigns and with the Silver Ferns Development Squad last year.
She said she was looking forward to the new challenge and excited to be working with the elite athletes in a sport she loves.
“I’m grateful for the time that I have been involved in high performance sport,” she said.
“It is not often that you get the opportunity to combine your passions – the mix of physiotherapy and netball is a dream come true for me.”
Ngatuere, who has a Masters in Sports Physiotherapy, has a strong interest in both physiotherapy treatment techniques, and injury minimisation in sporting youth.
She will join the squad for the camp in Wellington where the athletes will undergo fitness testing, team building, cultural sessions along with court and conditioning sessions.
It is the first time the squad of 18 will get together having only been announced last week and will be an opportunity for McCausland-Durie to set the foundations for next year’s campaign.
The NZU21 side will aim for a third straight world title when they head to Fiji for next year’s Netball World Youth Cup which has been confirmed to take place during the period from 1-19 December, 2021.