Ruth Aitken – Silver Ferns Coach 2001 - 2011

To remain the coach of a national team for 10 years is a rarity in any code and in her decade at the helm of the Silver Ferns, Ruth Aitken has fashioned an enviable record.

After an exceptional 10 years in the spotlight with the high profile Silver Ferns and an ever-demanding public and media, Aitken’s accomplishments speak volumes of her leadership skills and coaching credentials. A world championship gold medal (2003) and back-to-back Commonwealth Games golds (2006 and 2010) are backed up by silver medals at the 2007 and 2011 world championships and 2002 Commonwealth Games – an unrivalled record for a New Zealand Netball coach.

During her time in the hot seat, Aitken has been involved in some of the most memorable and riveting games in international Netball history. During her rein, little has separated the sport’s two powerhouses – New Zealand and Australia – the outcome between the two rarely a foregone conclusion.

The closeness between these great rivals has been apparent throughout Aitken’s 10 years, pulsating extra-time thrillers becoming the norm rather than the exception, including the dramatic conclusions to the 2002 and 2010 Commonwealth Games and 2011 World Netball Championships.

After finishing her playing career, which included being a member of the 1979 Silver Ferns World Championship winning team, Aitken turned her attention to coaching. From 1990, she spent the next 10 years on a variety of coaching assignments, building up her skill set at secondary school, regional, franchise and international level. This included stints with North Harbour, Thames Valley, Paeroa College, the Cometz, Waikato, Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic and New Zealand A before securing the Silver Ferns in 2001.

Aitken had a clear vision from the beginning as she set about resurrecting the Silver Ferns fortunes after they had endured a barren stretch without any silverware. Her appetite was whetted in Jamaica, her first tour as Silver Ferns coach in 2002, as she summed up the situation with an eye on the fast-approaching Commonwealth Games a few months later.

The intent was to build a Silver Ferns ``machine’’ and that was reinforced after an introduction to the contests against Australia, which were to ensure throughout her time at the helm, when the pair faced off in an epic clash in the 2002 Commonwealth Games final in Manchester.

It took double extra-time, the first in Netball history, to separate the two willing combatants in an enthralling contest before Australia finally broke the deadlock.

That game shaped Aitken’s philosophy in what was needed for the Silver Ferns going forward – raising the bar and creating a team that had confidence, belief in themselves, who set high standards both on and off the court, had the ability to absorb pressure while still executing clinically and efficiently.

Those were the ingredients needed to win gold medals at Commonwealth Games and World Championships. It did not take long for those standards to be adopted, the Silver Ferns ending 12 long years without a win against Australia as they swept to their first major trophy in 16 years at the 2003 World Netballl Championships in Jamaica, 12 months after the agonising defeat in Manchester.

With the Silver Ferns fortunes resurrected, Aitken was the toast of the town as Netball in New Zealand hit new highs. In an unprecedented moment, Netball swept all before them at the 2004 Halberg Awards when Aitken won Coach of the year, Irene van Dyk, Sportswoman of the Year, and the Silver Ferns, Team of the Year. It was a glowing endorsement of what had been achieved.

With the foundations in place, Aitken’s future rein continued in a similar vein. With sport it is a given there will always be the occasional hiccup at the very least along the way and it was no different for Aitken, but the Paeroa mother of two, enjoyed an excellent strike rate.

Aitken’s calm demeanour has been a strong asset in the heat of battle, her unflappable temperament being pivotal to the team’s fortunes. Endowed with a strong work ethic, positive attitude and the ability to make the hard decisions, Aitken has created an enduring legacy.

Describing it as the best job in the world, Aitken never tired of the pressure, the commitment and multitude of other issues involved with being the Silver Ferns coach. Her passion has been the Silver Ferns, it remains the Silver Ferns and as she steps down we can look back with much satisfaction on a job well done.