Netball New Zealand have named experienced coaches Julie Seymour and Te Aroha Keenan to guide the NZU21 through to the 2025 Netball World Youth Cup in Gibraltar.
It will be Seymour’s second Netball World Youth Cup campaign with the national age-group team but her first in the head coach role and she will be assisted by Keenan.
Seymour was the assistant coach of the NZU21 team which won the title in 2017 in Botswana – the last time the Netball World Youth Cup was contested with the 2021 event cancelled due to the global pandemic.
The duo, who both come from teaching backgrounds, have a vast coaching resume between them with Seymour having guided national schoolgirl teams, at national netball league level and as the assistant coach for the Tactix since 2008 – a position she currently holds.
Keenan has also guided teams at various levels including coaching London Pulse and Team Northumbria in the UK, head coach of the Mystics in the former trans-Tasman competition, at two Netball World Youth Cups (1996 and 2005), at national netball league in New Zealand and as the NZ Secondary Schools head coach. She is currently the Waikato BOP head coach in the Synergy Hair Netball League.
Netball NZ CEO Jennie Wyllie said they were delighted to be able to call on two very experienced New Zealand coaches to lead the national U21 side back onto the international netball stage.
“Both Julie and Te Aroha come with such a broad background in coaching and have a proven record working with age-group netballers,” she said.
“Our NZU21 have been denied playing on the international stage in recent years due to Covid and Julie and Te Aroha, as former Silver Ferns, understand the importance of this next step and ensuring that the age-group programme aligns with our elite High Performance programme at Silver Ferns level.
“Of course, Gibraltar and the Netball World Youth Cup will be their main focus and I’m excited to see our NZU21 team back in action.”
Seymour said she was looking forward to working with an important group of young New Zealand athletes.
“It’s exciting to work with this age-group and building towards a pinnacle event for them, but also understanding that the NZU21 programme is such an important step for athletes aspiring to become Silver Ferns,” she said.
The Netball World Youth Cup will be played in Gibraltar from 19-28 September, 2025 where the NZ U21 team will aim for a third straight world crown after winning the title in 2013 (Scotland) and 2017 (Botswana).
It will be Seymour’s second Netball World Youth Cup campaign with the national age-group team but her first in the head coach role and she will be assisted by Keenan.
Seymour was the assistant coach of the NZU21 team which won the title in 2017 in Botswana – the last time the Netball World Youth Cup was contested with the 2021 event cancelled due to the global pandemic.
The duo, who both come from teaching backgrounds, have a vast coaching resume between them with Seymour having guided national schoolgirl teams, at national netball league level and as the assistant coach for the Tactix since 2008 – a position she currently holds.
Keenan has also guided teams at various levels including coaching London Pulse and Team Northumbria in the UK, head coach of the Mystics in the former trans-Tasman competition, at two Netball World Youth Cups (1996 and 2005), at national netball league in New Zealand and as the NZ Secondary Schools head coach. She is currently the Waikato BOP head coach in the Synergy Hair Netball League.
Netball NZ CEO Jennie Wyllie said they were delighted to be able to call on two very experienced New Zealand coaches to lead the national U21 side back onto the international netball stage.
“Both Julie and Te Aroha come with such a broad background in coaching and have a proven record working with age-group netballers,” she said.
“Our NZU21 have been denied playing on the international stage in recent years due to Covid and Julie and Te Aroha, as former Silver Ferns, understand the importance of this next step and ensuring that the age-group programme aligns with our elite High Performance programme at Silver Ferns level.
“Of course, Gibraltar and the Netball World Youth Cup will be their main focus and I’m excited to see our NZU21 team back in action.”
Seymour said she was looking forward to working with an important group of young New Zealand athletes.
“It’s exciting to work with this age-group and building towards a pinnacle event for them, but also understanding that the NZU21 programme is such an important step for athletes aspiring to become Silver Ferns,” she said.
The Netball World Youth Cup will be played in Gibraltar from 19-28 September, 2025 where the NZ U21 team will aim for a third straight world crown after winning the title in 2013 (Scotland) and 2017 (Botswana).