Temepara Anne Bailey (formerly Clark, née George; born 23 October 1975 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 ...

) is a New Zealand 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 of Samoan and

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

descent. She was a member of the

Silver Ferns The New Zealand national netball team, commonly known as the Silver Ferns ( or ), represent Netball New Zealand in international netball tournaments such as the Netball World Cup, the Commonwealth Games, the Taini Jamison Trophy, the Constell ...

national squad in 1996, and from 2000–2011. George retired from international duties after the

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. ...

in Singapore. She played domestic netball 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 ...

as captain of the

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 ...

. Since the inaugural season, George has taken part in every quarter for the Mystics. She retired from all netball in 2012. She made a come back as a player for the Northern Stars in the 2019 ANZ Championship. She was previously on the coaching bench for the same team.

Early career

George was spotted as a talent in netball early, being selected for the Silver Ferns squad in 1996. She took time off the following year with the birth of her second child, and subsequentsly continued with the New Zealand A team and Silver Ferns training squad. With the start of the Coca-Cola Cup in 1998, George signed with the Auckland Diamonds for the league's inaugural year. In 1999, George transferred to cross-town rivals the Counties Manukau Cometz, under coach

Ruth Aitken Dame Ruth Ellina Aitken (née Fathers; born 31 July 1956) is a New Zealand former international-level netball player and former head coach of the New Zealand national netball team, the Silver Ferns. Biography Aitken was born in 1956 in Paeroa ...

. In 2000, she transferred again, this time to the Northland-based Northern Force, where she continued playing until the end of the competition in 2007.

Silver Ferns debut

George was selected again for the Silver Ferns in 2000, and later that year made her debut against

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 ...

. The next several years saw George make her mark on the international circuit and cement her position in the Silver Ferns midcourt. She missed out on the Silver Ferns team for the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, but the following year was named in the team for 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 ...

in Kingston, Jamaica. New Zealand progressed to the final of the tournament, which they contested with Australia. During the final, George was sent off for three goals, but the Silver Ferns eventually defeated Australia by 49–47 to win the tournament. Her performance also earned her the Albie Pryor Memorial Sports Person of the Year at the Māori Sports Awards. George won another gold medal three years later 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 Melbourne.

Withdrawal in 2007

In the leadup to the

2007 World Netball Championships The 2007 World Netball Championships was the 12th edition of the INF Netball World Cup, a quadrennial premier event in international netball co-ordinated by the International Federation of Netball Associations (IFNA). Sixteen nations contested t ...

, Temepara George announced on 30 July that year that she was standing down from international netball. She moved to Townsville, Queensland to live with her then-partner, rugby league player Sione Faumuina, who had accepted a contract with the

North Queensland Cowboys The North Queensland Cowboys is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, the largest city in North Queensland. They compete in Australia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL). Sinc ...

. George's absence from the Silver Ferns was widely believed to have decreased the team's chances at the upcoming World Championships in Auckland. New Zealand finished second at the 2007 World Championships, behind Australia. With the start of a new netball competition in 2008, the

, replacing the National Bank Cup, Temepara George considered signing with the

Queensland Firebirds Queensland Firebirds are an Australian professional netball team based in Brisbane, Queensland. Since 2017 they have played in Suncorp Super Netball. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Championship and between 1997 and 2007, they pl ...

while living in Queensland. She eventually turned down the Firebirds in favour of returning to New Zealand, and signed with the Auckland-based

franchise. That same year, Temepara George was a contestant on the New Zealand version of ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...

''. George went on to win the 2008 show, partnered with Stefano Olivieri. In 2009 George appeared on the New Zealand travel programme ''

Intrepid Journeys ''Intrepid Journeys'' is a New Zealand television series, which was broadcast on TV ONE in New Zealand and on Vibrant TV Network in the United States. Making its debut in 2003, the show focuses on New Zealand celebrities who travel to exotic co ...

'', travelling to

Darjeeling Darjeeling (, , ) is a city in the northernmost region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the Koshi Pr ...

and

Sikkim Sikkim ( ; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Koshi Province of Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the ...

Return to international netball

In 2009, Temepara George announced her availability for the national team, and committed to playing with the Silver Ferns until at least the

. She was subsequently selected for the inaugural

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 Manchester, which the Silver Ferns won with a 32–27 victory over Jamaica in the final. George travelled to Delhi the following year for the

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 ...

, winning gold with the Silver Ferns after an epic 66–64 gold medal playoff against Australia. Injury forced her out of the side for the three-test series against England in early 2011. She recovered in time for the start of the

2011 ANZ Championship season The 2011 ANZ Championship season was the fourth season of the ANZ Championship. The 2011 season began on 13 February and concluded on 22 May. With a team coached by Roselee Jencke, captained by Lauren Nourse and featuring Romelda Aiken, Laura G ...

. The Mystics had their best ever campaign in 2011, qualifying for their first finals series, before finishing runners-up in the grand final. George was recalled into the Silver Ferns for the 2011 World Championships in Singapore. The Silver Ferns progressed to the gold medal match against perennial rivals Australia, and in another overtime match New Zealand were defeated 58–57.

International retirement

After the World Championships, George retired from international netball at the age of 35, having played in 89 test matches for the Silver Ferns. She continued to captain the Northern Mystics in the ANZ Championship for a further season. In the 2012 Queen's Birthday and Diamond Jubilee Honours, George 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 on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ...

, for services to netball.

References

External links

2010 Northern Mystics profile: Temepara George
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Temepara 1975 births Living people New Zealand netball players New Zealand international netball players Commonwealth Games gold medallists for New Zealand Netball players at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Netball players at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games gold medallists in netball 2003 World Netball Championships players 2011 World Netball Championships players Northern Mystics players ANZ Championship players Northern Force players Netball players from Auckland Dancing with the Stars (New Zealand TV series) winners New Zealand Māori netball players Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit New Zealand international Fast5 players Northern Stars players National Netball League (New Zealand) coaches Medallists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Counties Manukau Cometz players Auckland Diamonds players ANZ Premiership players