Irene van Dyk (née Viljoen; born 21 June 1972) is a former

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...

international who represented both

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. Between 2000 and 2014 she made 145 senior appearances for

. She was a member of the New Zealand teams that won the

2003 World Netball Championships The 2003 World Netball Championships were the eleventh edition of the INF Netball World Cup, a quadrennial premier event in international netball. It was held in Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica from 10 to 20 July. After 100 matches, New Zeala ...

and the

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

and

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth that was held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 201 ...

titles. Between 1994 and 1999 she made 72 senior appearances for South Africa. She was member of the South Africa team that were silver medallists at the 1995 World Netball Championships. She captained South Africa at the 1999 World Netball Championships. During her international netball career, she scored 5917 goals from 6572 attempts at 90%. Van Dyk remains the world's most capped netball international. She was the 2003 New Zealand Sportswoman of the Year. Between 2003 and

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, van Dyk played for Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic. In 2005 and 2006, she was a member of the Magic team that won two successive

National Bank Cup The National Bank Cup, originally known as the Coca-Cola Cup, was the top level national Netball in New Zealand, New Zealand netball league between 1998 in New Zealand, 1998 and 2007 in New Zealand, 2007. The league was organised by Netball Ne ...

titles and in

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, she was a member of the Magic team that won the

ANZ Championship The ANZ Championship, also known as the Trans-Tasman Netball League, is a former netball league featuring teams from both Australia and New Zealand. Between 2008 and 2016, it was the top-level league in both countries. The competition was owned ...

. In

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, van Dyk was appointed a Member of the

New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant (document), royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of New Zealand, Queen of New Zealand, "for th ...

, for services to netball. In 2022, she was included on a list of the 25 best players to feature in netball leagues in New Zealand since 1998. In 2024 she was inducted into the Netball New Zealand Hall of Fame.

Early life and family

Irene van Dyk is the daughter of Herman and Irene Viljoen. She was born in

Vereeniging Vereeniging ( ; ) is a city located in the south of Gauteng province, South Africa, situated where the Klip River empties into the northern loop of the Vaal River. It is also one of the constituent parts of the Vaal Triangle region and was forme ...

Gauteng Gauteng ( , ; Sotho-Tswana languages, Sotho-Tswana for 'place of gold'; or ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts f ...

. Her mother played korfball for South Africa and her father was an umpire. She is the youngest of four siblings and grew up on a farm in

Meyerton, Gauteng Meyerton is a small town lying 18 km north of Vereeniging in Gauteng, South Africa. It is situated in the Midvaal Local Municipality (of which it is the capital) in the Sedibeng District Municipality. History Meyerton was established in 1891 ...

. In her youth she showed potential as a track and field athlete. Between 1988 and 1990 she represented her province in the 400m and 100m hurdles at the South African Athletics Championships. Her father died in 1992 during a routine appendix operation. Her mother passed away in July 2012 after a long battle with cancer. In 1994, she married Christie van Dyk. Christie and Irene met at university. Together the couple have one child, a daughter named Bianca (born c. 1998). In 2000, after moving to New Zealand, van Dyk began working as a schoolteacher at Fergusson Intermediate.

Playing career

Early career

In South Africa, van Dyk played for Rand Afrikaans University and Gauteng.

Capital Shakers

While playing for

at the 1999 World Netball Championships, van Dyk was invited to play for six months with Capital Shakers. She also received an offer to play for Queensland Firebirds. Between 2000 and 2002, van Dyk played for Shakers in the Coca-Cola Cup/National Bank Cup league. She was a prominent member of the Shakers team that were semi-finalists three years in succession. They finished third in 2000 and fourth in 2001 and 2002. In 2000, van Dyk scored 367 goals from 396 attempts at 93% as Shakers reached their first semi-final. However, they subsequently lost 50–35 to Canterbury Flames. On 22 April 2001, an outstanding goal scoring performance from van Dyk saw Shakers defeated Southern Sting 51–48 in a Round 4 match. It ended a winning run of 18 matches over two years for Sting. During the 2001 season, van Dyk had a 91% shooting success rate as she played a major role in leading Shakers to their second semi-final. However, they lost 60–49 to Sting.

Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic

Between 2003 and

, van Dyk played for Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic, initially in the

league and later in the

. She was a prominent member of a successful Magic team coached by Noeline Taurua. In 2005 and 2006, she was a member of the Magic team that won two successive National Bank Cup titles. During the 2007 and

seasons, she co-captained Magic with Joline Henry. In

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, she was a member of the Magic team that finished as

minor premiers and overall runners-up. In

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

she helped Magic finish as runners up. In

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, during a Round 8 match against Queensland Firebirds, van Dyk made her 100th senior appearance for Magic. She was the first Magic player to reach this tally. In

, she was a member of the Magic team that won the

. During the season she turned 40. Just hours before the preliminary final against

Northern Mystics Northern Mystics are a New Zealand netball team based in Auckland. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Championship. Since 2017 they have represented Netball Northern in the ANZ Premiership. Netball Northern is the governing body t ...

, van Dyk received the news that her mother had died. In the grand final Magic defeated

Melbourne Vixens Melbourne Vixens is an netball in Australia, Australian professional netball team based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Since 2017 Suncorp Super Netball season, 2017 they have represented Netball Victoria in Suncorp Super Netball. B ...

41–38. Van Dyk scored 25 of her 26 attempts at 96%.

Central Pulse

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

and

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, van Dyk played for Central Pulse in the

. On 26 April 2014, van Dyk made her 100th ANZ Championship appearance in a Round 9 match against

International

South Africa

Between 1994 and 1999, van Dyk made 72 senior appearances for

. She was a prominent member of the South Africa team that were silver medallists at the 1995 World Netball Championships. During the tournament they defeated both

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

before losing in the final to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. In 1996, van Dyk was awarded the State President's Merit Award by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...

for her contributions. She also represented South Africa at the

1998 Commonwealth Games The 1998 Commonwealth Games ( Malay: ), officially known as the XVI Commonwealth Games (Malay: ), were a multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 1998 games were the first held in Asia and the last Commonwealth Games of the 20th cen ...

and captained South Africa at the 1999 World Netball Championships. She scored 1,121 goals for South Africa from 1,284 attempts at 87%.

New Zealand

After playing for Capital Shakers in the Coca-Cola Cup/National Bank Cup league, van Dyk switched her international allegiances from

. She had decided to make her move to New Zealand permanent and Netball South Africa told her they wouldn't pick her for South Africa. Between 2000 and 2014, van Dyk made 145 senior appearances for New Zealand. She represented New Zealand at the

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

and

2011 World Netball Championships The 2011 World Netball Championships () was the 13th edition of the INF Netball World Cup, a quadrennial premier event in international netball. It was held in Singapore from 3–10 July. All 48 matches were played at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. ...

and at the

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

and

. She scored 4796 goals for New Zealand from 5288 attempts at 91%. On 20 June 2000, van Dyk made her senior debut for New Zealand during an away series against

. Ahead of the

2002 Commonwealth Games The 2002 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XVII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Manchester 2002, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth held in Manchester, England, ...

, Netball South Africa tried to block van Dyk from playing for New Zealand. However, they were overruled by the South African Commonwealth Games Association who granted her permission. She subsequently helped New Zealand finish as silver medallists at the Games. She was a prominent member of the New Zealand team that were gold medallists at the

. In the final against Australia, she scored 41 goals from 43 attempts at 95%, as New Zealand won 49–47. At the 2003

Halberg Awards The Halberg Awards are a set of awards, given annually since 1949, recognising New Zealand's top sporting achievements. They are named for New Zealand middle-distance runner and Olympic gold medalist Sir Murray Halberg. The initial award was han ...

, van Dyk was named Sportswoman of the Year. On 29 October 2005, van Dyk made her 129th senior test appearance against Australia. This saw her overtake

's Kendra Slawinski as the world's most capped netball international. Incidentally, she scored 41 from 43 at 95% as New Zealand defeated Australia 61–36. At the time, the 26-goal margin became New Zealand's biggest win over Australia. She was member of the New Zealand team that were gold medallists at the

2006 Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006, were an International sport, international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth held in Melbourne ...

. In the final against Australia, she scored 44 goals from 49 as New Zealand won 60–55. On 23 September 2009, van Dyk made her 100th senior test appearance for New Zealand in a 52–36 win over Australia. She marked the occasion by scoring 33 goals from 36 attempts at 92%. Van Dyk was chosen to lead the

team and carry the

flag of New Zealand The flag of New Zealand (), also known as the New Zealand Ensign, is based on the British maritime Blue Ensigna blue field with the Union Jack in the ''canton (flag), canton'' or upper hoist corneraugmented or ''Defacement (flag), defaced'' wit ...

at the 2010 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony. On 5 October 2010, in a pool stage match against the

Cook Islands The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately . The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers of ocean. Avarua is its ...

, van Dyk made her 111th senior test appearance for New Zealand in a 87–24 win. This saw her overtake Lesley Rumball as New Zealand's most capped netball international. She went onto to help New Zealand win the

title, scoring 25 from 29 at 86% in the final as they beat Australia 66–64. During the 2011 Taini Jamison Trophy Series, van Dyk made her 200th senior test appearance in a match against England. She captained New Zealand at the 2011 World Netball Series. Van Dyk was also a member of the New Zealand team that won the 2012 Constellation Cup. In June 2014, van Dyk announced her retirement from international netball. She was selected to play for New Zealand at the 2014 Fast5 Netball World Series. However shortly before the tournament began, she had to withdraw from the squad because of injury. Van Dyk remains the world's most capped netball international. In April 2022, she was one of 25 New Zealand internationals included on a list of the best players to feature in netball leagues in New Zealand since 1998.

MNZM

In the 2009 New Year Honours, van Dyk was appointed a Member of the

, for services to netball. Together with Margaret Foster and Belinda Charteris, she was one of several New Zealand netball people to receive an honour.

Coaching career

Ahead of the 2015 Netball World Cup, van Dyk trained with

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. Van Dyk and the Scotland head coach, Gail Parata, where former teammates at Capital Shakers. In 2017, van Dyk served as team manager with Wellington Blaze women's cricket team. At the time her husband, Christie, was the team coach. In

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, van Dyk served as a specialist coach with Central Pulse. In 2022, van Dyk began working for Netball New Zealand.

Honours

;

World Netball Championships The Netball World Cup is a quadrennial international netball world championship organised by World Netball, inaugurated in 1963. Since its inception the competition has been dominated primarily by the Australia national netball team and the New ...

**''Winners'':

**''Runners up'':

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

**''Winners'':

**''Runners Up'':

* Taini Jamison Trophy **''Winners'':

**''Runners Up'':

* Constellation Cup **''Winners'':

**''Runners Up'':

Fast5 Netball World Series The Fast5 Netball World Series is an annual international Fast5 netball competition. The competition, which began in October 2009, features modified Fast5 rules, and has been likened to Twenty20 cricket and rugby sevens. The competition is co ...

**''Winners'':

**''Runners up'':

Netball Quad Series The Netball Quad Series, also referred to as the SANZEA Netball Quad Series, is an international netball series. The series traditionally features Australia national netball team, Australia, England national netball team, England, New Zealand nati ...

**''Runners Up'':

;

**''Runners Up'':

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

; Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic *

**''Winners'': 2005, 2006 *

**''Winners'':

**''Runners Up'':

**''Minor premiers'':

;Individual Awards

References