Northern Mystics are a New Zealand netball team based in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

. Between

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 ...

and

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, they played in the ANZ Championship. Since

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

they have represented Netball Northern in the ANZ Premiership. Netball Northern is the governing body that represents the

and

Northland Region Northland (), officially the Northland Region, is the northernmost of New Zealand's 16 regions of New Zealand, local government regions. New Zealanders sometimes refer to it as the Winterless North because of its mild climate all throughout t ...

s. In

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, Mystics won their first premiership and in

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

they won their second.

History

Formation

Northern Mystics were formed in

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 ...

. The new team was effectively a merger of the two former National Bank Cup teams, Northern Force and Auckland Diamonds. Mystics subsequently became founder members of the ANZ Championship. Yvonne Willering became Mystics first head coach and Temepara George became Mystics first player.

ANZ Championship

Between

and

, Mystics played in the ANZ Championship. On 6 April 2008, Mystics made their ANZ Championship debut in a match against Canterbury Tactix at The Trusts Arena, losing 44–48. 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 ...

, with a team coached by Debbie Fuller and captained by Temepara George, Mystics reached their first grand final. They finished the regular season fourth behind Queensland Firebirds, Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic and New South Wales Swifts. During the regular season, Mystics claimed their first win in

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 ...

, with a 56–54 win over West Coast Fever in Round 9. Mystics defeated Swifts in the minor semi-final and Magic in the preliminary final before losing to Firebirds in the grand final. Mystics finished the season second overall. 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 ...

, Mystics finished second on the table after the regular season. However, they subsequently lost the major semi-final to Melbourne Vixens and the preliminary final to Magic and finished in third overall. On 20 May 2012, during a Round 8 match against Vixens, Mystics introduced the '' Harrison Hoist''. Anna Harrison made several vital blocks while being hoisted rugby union lineout-style by her defensive partners. Harrison was lifted first by Kayla Cullen and then twice in the final quarter by Jessica Moulds. Mystics won the match 49–45. Cullen and Moulds adopted the role of a lineout lifter to hoist Harrison and the move had the desired result in the final quarter when Vixens goal shooter Karyn Howarth's goal-bound shots were twice batted away. In

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 ...

, Mystics went through the regular season unbeaten against their fellow

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 ...

teams and topped the New Zealand Conference. However they subsequently lost the Conference final to Magic and a semi-final to Firebirds. ;Regular season statistics

ANZ Premiership

Since

, Mystics have played in the ANZ Premiership. In

, with a team coached by Helene Wilson and captained by Sulu Fitzpatrick and featuring Ama Agbeze, Bailey Mes and Grace Nweke, Mystics won their first ever premiership. After finishing the regular season as minor premiers, they defeated Mainland Tactix 61–59 in the grand final. In

, with a team coached by Tia Winikerei, captained by Sulu Fitzpatrick and featuring Phoenix Karaka, Grace Nweke, Michaela Sokolich-Beatson and Peta Toeava, Mystics won their second title. Mystics finished the regular season as minor premiers, finishing above Central Pulse and Northern Stars. Mystics defeated Stars 74–56 in the Grand final. ;Regular season statistics

Grand finals

; ANZ Championship ; Netball New Zealand Super Club ; ANZ Premiership

Home venues

Mystics main home venue is The Trusts Arena.

Notable players

2024 squad

Internationals

; ; * Charlotte Kight * Jessica Moulds * Rachel Rasmussen * Hayley Saunders ; * Julie Corletto * Megan Dehn ; * Ama Agbeze * Jade Clarke * Pamela Cookey * Sasha Corbin * Serena Guthrie ; * Vilimaina Davu ; * Althea Byfield ; * Rachel Rasmussen * Sheryl Scanlan * Saviour Tui * Cathrine Tuivaiti ; * Leana de Bruin

Captains

Award winners

ANZ Championship awards

; ANZ Championship MVP ;Notes * Temepara George shared the award with Laura Langman ( Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic). ; ANZ Championship Best New Talent

New Zealand Netball Awards

;New Zealand ANZ Championship Player of the Year ; Dame Lois Muir Supreme Award

Coaches

Head coaches

Assistant coaches

Specialist coaches

Main sponsors

Reserve team

Since 2016, Netball Northern have entered a team in the National Netball League. In 2017 they became known as Northern Marvels. They are effectively the reserve team of Northern Mystics. Helene Wilson was their inaugural head coach. Former Marvels players include Elisapeta Toeava and Grace Nweke. In 2021 Northern Marvels were NNL premiers after they defeated Northern Comets 64–56 in the grand final.

Honours

* ANZ Premiership **''Winners'':

**''Minor premiers'':

* ANZ Championship **''Runners Up'':

* ANZ Championship – New Zealand Conference **''Minor premiers'':

* Netball New Zealand Super Club **''Runners Up'':

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 ...

References

External links

Official website

Northern Mystics on Facebook

Northern Mystics on Twitter
{{Sport in Auckland ANZ Premiership teams ANZ Championship teams Netball teams in New Zealand Sports clubs and teams established in 2007 2007 establishments in New Zealand Netball teams in Auckland