Margaret Foster

For other people named Margaret Foster, see Margaret Foster (disambiguation).

Margaret Foster
MNZM

Foster in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Margaret Mary Anne Foster (née Bray)
Occupation	Netball coach
Netball career
Playing position(s): WA, C
Years	Club team(s)	Apps
1986–1999; 2001	Canterbury Hearts/Flames
Years	National team(s)	Caps
1992–1994; 1997	New Zealand	7
Coaching career
Years	Team(s)
2000; 2002–07	Canterbury Flames
2009	Southern Steel
2011	Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic (asst)
Last updated: 5 November 2010

Margaret Mary Anne Foster MNZM (née Bray) is a New Zealand netball coach and former Silver Ferns player. Foster played 14 international matches from 1992 to 1997. She played domestic netball in the National Bank Cup for the Canterbury Flames, playing in 1998, 1999 and 2001. She also played for Canterbury for over ten years, and played one season for Wellington.

Coaching career

Foster also coached the team in 2000 and from 2002 to 2007. Foster took the Canterbury Flames to five final appearances, losing each time to the Southland-based Southern Sting. She also previously coached the New Zealand A squad.^[1] Foster was also a Silver Ferns selector, the sports analyst for the Silver Ferns at the Commonwealth Games, Manchester and the Netball World Cup, Jamaica where NZ won.

After the National Bank Cup was replaced by the ANZ Championship in April 2008, Foster was replaced as coach of the Christchurch-based Canterbury franchise. She pulled out of an offer to be head coach of the Northern Mystics, after Yvonne Willering was sacked from the position. Instead, Foster took up the role of assistant coach of the Southern Steel for the 2009 season.^[2] She subsequently signed on as assistant coach of the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic for the 2011 season.^[3] She was also appointed head coach for the Cook Islands netball squad for 2011 and took them to the South Pacific Series. Foster also coached Loughborough Lightning in Netball Superleague.^[4][5] She also designed a high performance programme and ran coach workshops in St Lucia, and Hong Kong. Foster has also been an international coach assisting the Sri Lankan National team. Foster owns a coaching company in Canterbury called Motivationz Netball. This academy provides coaching for young children from 8 to 16 years of age.^[6]

Outside of netball

Foster was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006. She later wrote a book, Silver Linings, about both her career and battle with cancer.^[7] Foster is the ambassador for the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation, and has been guest speaker throughout New Zealand inspiring other people. In the 2009 Queen's Birthday Honours, Foster was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to sport, in particular netball.^[8][9]

References

1. Williams, Katarina (25 April 2010). "Foster itching to pull side out of doldrums". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
2. Seconi, Adrian (16 May 2009). "No division of loyalties for Foster". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
3. NZPA (2 November 2010). "Marg Foster joins Magic coaching staff". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
4. "New Zealand coach appointed to begin new era for Loughborough Lightning". lboro.ac.uk. 8 October 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
5. "Karen Atkinson named Loughborough Lightning coach". bbc.co.uk. 19 August 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
6. "Sporting events in the Cook Islands". www.cinews.com. Archived from the original on 9 March 2011.
7. Hepburn, Steve (29 April 2009). "Straight-shooting Foster made of the write stuff". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
8. "Queen's Birthday honours - full list". The New Zealand Herald. 1 June 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2009.
9. "Queen's Birthday honours list 2009". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 1 June 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2020.