Adine Wilson on family, commentating, the Silver Ferns, and New Zealand’s sporting future

Adine Wilson was a Silver Ferns star during one of their finest eras, winning a world title and leading them to Commonwealth Games gold. The Hāwera-raised Wilson also became synonymous with Southland sport, during a heady time when the Sting were the country’s netball powerhouse. And during this period she married legendary Southland sportsman Jeff Wilson, the rugby-cricket international.

A couple of decades later sport still dominates her family’s life, a fact emphasised when you are greeted with the sight of a golf-putting area at the front of their Milford home on Auckland’s North Shore. The 44-year-old Wilson is a netball commentator for Sky and former All Blacks Jeff is front and centre of the broadcaster’s rugby coverage.

But wait - there is a lot more.

Sons Harper, 15, and Lincoln, 13 - who attend Westlake Boys High School - have set their sights on sports careers. And their mother is now playing a big part in shaping the future of sport and recreation in this country, as a member of the four-person board establishing the new independent integrity commission established by legislation. Adine Wilson chats to Chris Rattue.

How will the new integrity commission work?

There is already something very similar in Australia. There will be codes for basic integrity on doping, human rights, bullying, harassment and game manipulation. Sports can opt in but some sports already do their own judiciary very well. Cases will be triaged within the commission and then go back to the sports. Or they could go to mediation, investigation or arbitration, along those lines.

Are you keen to be on the commission when it is established?

I am thoroughly enjoying the challenge of sitting on the establishment board and it’s certainly something I would be interested in. I’ve always had an interest in athlete welfare. There is the potential for the current board to go onto the commission, but it’s not a given. I would sit on the board, not work at the operational level.

What are the hurdles so far?

Getting the codes right and setting the right expectations about what will keep athletes and participants safe. The whole purpose is to enable people to play sport and be safe and happy in a supportive environment.

And what would happen to a case involving an athlete whose sport had not opted in?

Those are the sort of things still being worked through. There were 138 submissions on the bill, a huge amount, and some sports say this will be great and others are saying we already do a good job.

In those with significant financial backing, who knows? I don’t think basketball or the NRL have opted in in Australia.

Commentators and former players Anna Stanley and Adine Wilson. Photo / Photosport

Moving on to netball... what is going on with the struggling Silver Ferns?

To take a positive view, other countries have caught up. They have made the most of being able to play in the English and Australian leagues, and have got stronger.

Once upon a time, you could put money on Australia and New Zealand being in a final. Nowadays it could be England, Jamaica, South Africa have stepped up, Uganda, Malawi... from that perspective it’s wonderful.

But...

The challenge for netball involves the advances made by other women’s sports, which is awesome. In my era, if you wanted to be a professional athlete in New Zealand, netball was about the only pathway.

Netball is still the highest participation sport but maybe some girls are choosing other codes.

I watch a whole lot of basketball now and one of the impressive things about the NBA is how they progress - they’ve changed the rules throughout history to entertain and keep the players coming to basketball.

So how do we keep the kids attracted and wanting to play netball? We need competitions they want to play in. Do we need to tweak the rules to make the game more exciting?

Which rules?

I don’t have the answers but the whole sport needs to come together and find the answers. It’s not all fun and games in Australia at the moment either - they haven’t even contracted the players because the player’s association and Netball Australia are at loggerheads.

There are lots of netball pockets with a willingness to ask these questions because it is not smooth sailing right now.

You were central to a great era - do you have any get-togethers?

The 2003 team that won world gold is coming together in Auckland this December and we all did a [internet] meeting on the anniversary in July which was so cool.

What I really love about it is going to a basketball or rugby game and seeing so many of my old teammates with their kids, to see how it is passed down generations. We all keep in touch.

Is there a favourite memory from your playing days?

I feel exceptionally fortunate to have played in that era with so much success with the Southern Sting and Silver Ferns.

Maybe this is front of mind because we lost [Sting coach] Robbie Broughton recently.

I’ve always felt good about the final year of the National Bank Cup in 2007, when it was to be decommissioned because of the TransTasman competition.

Winning meant that the trophy was going in our cabinet in Invercargill forever, and it’s still down there.

I’m not sure we were the best team that year but we were so determined and it felt so right to be the forever holders, because of our massive history of success.

One of my proudest memories is being part of that franchise and the effect it had on the Southland community.

There were ticker tape parades, people would line up for tickets... how lucky to be part of that.

The impact it had, the excitement it created - that’s what I’d love to see in netball again.

Sky Commentator Adine Wilson. Photo / Getty Images

Everything came together…

Sometimes a sport gets it so right and I think the (NRL) Warriors are an example of that this year…and winning helps.

When you get your fan base right, engaged and excited, you create a buzz around your sport. Just that phrase ‘Up The Wahs’... it has spread like wildfire.

Favourite opponents?

I loved playing against Peta Scholz and Selina Gilsenan, who played wing defence for Australia.

I had to be at my best because they were relentless. As you hear in netball now - they were the human backpacks. They would never give up on you.

The Australians play a different style, a tight man-on-man style, whereas we are more mixed with a zone style.

It involved tweaking movement patterns, because the first thing you had to do was get them off your body.

Were you heavily into analysis?

I think I am more of a nerd now - as a player I was more instinctive. Others like Lesley Rumball would analyse it to another degree compared to me. She was really analytical.

Did you have a hero?

In netball, Sandra Edge. She was different to everyone else. She had flair, was so intense on the court, and wasn’t scared to be that person to hold the ball at the end, to throw it in and take a risk. She had that confidence. She was my mentor for a while - just to rub shoulders with your hero was pretty special. She set the standards.

What is it like having two commentators in the house?

It’s not something we consciously sit down and talk about. With Jeff at the World Cup, people ask ‘what does he do all week?’ Well actually, he’s quite busy - I understand the preparation that goes into a broadcast.

It must mean you live quite separate lives at times...

That’s no different to when we first met and were playing. That’s our life - we have a really good wall planner. Certainly having children changes things - where we can it is really important that one of us is home with the boys.

Are your boys sports-mad?

They love sport - they’ve played so many but it’s got to a point where basketball and rugby dominate.

I love watching the boys but I get so nervous - now I have so much empathy for my parents. It’s not easy being on the sidelines.

We’ve got four basketballs in the kitchen - they are always twirling them on their fingers, bouncing them on the floor. I don’t know how I let that happen.

They’re both doing really well and they certainly have sporting career aspirations. We reiterate to them that is awesome but schoolwork has to be very important as well.

Do they grill you about your careers?

I don’t think they even knew I played. I used to play basketball against them but I’ve given up. They’re way bigger and stronger and think I’m unco-ordinated. “Oh mum...”

I don’t think they’ve seen footage of me play but they’ve certainly seen Jeff - it’s easier to get access to his footage I suppose.

They don’t ask about specifics but we have really good chats around wider topics, like keeping your cool on the court. If someone knows they can push your buttons and put you off your game, that’s what they will do.

We talk about having the confidence to take the last shot in a game, but if you don’t make it, that doesn’t matter. You are 15 and 13 years old - you are learning for the future. We try to instil that in them.

We love winning and competing and take sport seriously, but it’s also about fun. That’s the point - getting out there with mates. We try to keep it in perspective.

Do you support the Breakers?

We are massive Breakers fans and have always taken the kids. The Breakers have done such a good job - they’ve been clever for a long time around the whole event, as opposed to just the game.

Sport, sport, sport... and we’ve yet to mention your career as a sports lawyer. How do you fit that in?

I’m working part-time at Meredith Connell - I’ve been back practising for a couple of months. People often ask ‘What is sports law?’. It’s like any other law but in the sporting context. There are employment and commercial matters, sponsorship agreements, broadcasting deals, disputes around selections. It’s very broad. Sports lawyers have their niches - for me, it’s governance and commercial.

Given all of the above, I presume you still play some sport.

I still play basketball in a women’s social team. Our name keeps changing - I think we are the Hoop Hustlers. And I play touch rugby. I think social sport ends up more competitive than competitive - everyone gets fired up.