Sonia Mkoloma (born 17 January 1979) is an English former international

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 ...

player. Mkoloma made her international debut for the English national team in 1999, and during her career has competed at three

Netball World 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 ...

, three

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 ...

and two

World Netball 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 ...

. In August 2009, Mkoloma played for a World 7 team, coached by

Julie Fitzgerald Julie Fitzgerald is a veteran Australian netball coach. Between 1997 and 2007, Fitzgerald served as head coach of Sydney Swifts in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy league. She guided Swifts to premierships in 2001, 2004, 2006 and 2007. Between ...

, that defeated

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 ...

2–1 in the

2009 Taini Jamison Trophy Series The 2009 Taini Jamison Trophy Series, also referred to as the New World Series, was the second Taini Jamison Trophy series. It featured New Zealand national netball team, New Zealand playing a World Netball, World 7 in a series of three Test m ...

. In the domestic

Netball Superleague The Netball Super League is an elite netball league in the United Kingdom. The league is organised by England Netball but features teams based in Netball in England, England, Netball in Wales, Wales and previously Netball in Scotland, Scotland. ...

she played with the Surrey Storm (formerly Brunel Hurricanes) with best friend and fellow England defender

Geva Mentor Geva Kate Mentor CBE (born 17 September 1984) is a former England netball international and current Netball Super League player for Leeds Rhinos Netball. She has competed for England in six Commonwealth Games, winning a historic gold medal a ...

. Mkoloma also played in 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 ...

: she played for

Central Pulse Central Pulse are a New Zealand netball team based in Wellington. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Championship. Since 2017 they have represented Netball Central in the ANZ Premiership. Netball Central is the governing body that ...

in the 2008 season, and for Canterbury Tactix in 2009. In 2010, she transferred to the

New South Wales Swifts New South Wales Swifts are an Australian professional netball team based in Sydney, New South Wales. Since 2017 they have represented Netball New South Wales in Suncorp Super Netball. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Championship. ...

. Mkoloma continued with the Swifts in 2011, and was part of the England national team for the 2011 World Championships and 2015 World Cup. On 11 April 2011, Mkoloma played her 50th ANZ Championship match between the Swifts and the Magic. By the end of the 2014 ANZ season, Sonia left the Swifts after 69 appearances and five seasons at the club. She has 95 ANZ caps.The online home of Netball New Zealand – Netball New Zealand
Mynetball.co.nz. Retrieved on 22 September 2016. Mkoloma is an assistant referee in the BBC 2024 revival of TV show

Gladiators A gladiator ( , ) was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their ...

Media work

Sonia is an Assistant Referee on the revival of the game show

, alongside Assistant Referee Lee Phillips and Lead Referee

Mark Clattenburg Mark Clattenburg (born 13 March 1975) is an English former professional Association football, football Referee (association football), referee. Clattenburg is a former member of the Premier League and the Durham County Football Association an ...

ANZ Championship accolades

* 2013 NSW Swifts Players' Player Award * 2008 joint- ANZ Championship Most Valuable Player

National representation

* 1999–2011; 2015 (England) * Test Caps: 129

Netball career facts

* 2013 England Netball Hall of Fame Inductee * Bronze medal at 2007, 2011 and 2015 World Netball Championships * Bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games (2006 & 2010)

External links

2010 ANZ Championship profile

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mkoloma, Sonia 1979 births English netball players Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for England Netball players at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Netball players at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Netball players at the 2010 Commonwealth Games New South Wales Swifts players Mainland Tactix players Central Pulse players Sportspeople from London Black British sportswomen Living people Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in netball Netball Superleague players Surrey Storm players AENA Super Cup players English expatriate netball people in New Zealand English expatriate netball people in Australia 1999 World Netball Championships players 2011 World Netball Championships players 2015 Netball World Cup players English people of Malawian descent English people of Barbadian descent Sportspeople of Barbadian descent Medallists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 2010 Commonwealth Games England international Fast5 players 21st-century English sportswomen England international netball players