Casey Kopua facts for kids
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Kopua in 2011
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Casey May Kopua (née Williams) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 19 June 1985 Hamilton, New Zealand |
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| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Matamata College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | University of Waikato | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Terry Kopua | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Married | 1 December 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Netball career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position(s): GK, GD | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Club team(s) | Apps | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2015, 2018–2019 | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | Giants Netball | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Correct as of 1 June 2025) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | National team(s) | Caps | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2015, 2019 | New Zealand | 112 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Correct as of 30 July 2019) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Casey May Kopua (born June 19, 1985) is a famous retired netball player from New Zealand. She was once the captain of the New Zealand national netball team, known as the Silver Ferns. She also led her club team, the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic.
Contents
Early Career and Silver Ferns Debut
Casey Kopua joined the Silver Ferns, New Zealand's national netball team, in 2004. She played her first game in 2005 against Barbados. Before that, she was part of the New Zealand Under 21 netball team. This team won a gold medal at the 2005 World Youth Netball Championships in Florida.
Winning Medals and Becoming Captain
During her amazing career, Casey won many important medals. She earned gold medals at the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games. She also won gold at the 2009 World Netball Series. Casey also helped her team win silver medals at the 2007 and 2011 World Netball Championships.
In 2008, she became a co-captain of the Silver Ferns. Later that year, she stepped in as acting captain when the main captain, Julie Seymour, was injured. In July 2009, Casey Kopua officially became the 23rd captain of the Silver Ferns. She took over from Julie Seymour, who retired.
Playing for Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic
Casey Kopua played her entire club career with the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic. She started playing for them in 2003. In the 2008 ANZ Championship season, she was named the best player of the championship. This was a big award for her.
Special Recognition and Injuries
In 2011, Casey Kopua was given a special award. She was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. This award recognized her great contributions to netball in New Zealand.
On October 11, 2014, Casey made history. She played her 63rd game as captain of the New Zealand netball team. This made her the most capped New Zealand netball captain ever. However, during that same game against Australia, she suffered a serious knee injury. Scans showed she had ruptured her patella tendon. She had surgery a few days later to fix it.
Return to Netball and World Cup Victory
After her surgery, Casey spent time recovering. In 2017, she announced she would retire from the Silver Ferns. She planned to return to play for the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in 2018, but not for the national team.
However, the national team coach, Noeline Taurua, convinced her to come back for the 2019 Netball World Cup. This was a great decision! New Zealand went on to win the World Cup. Casey Kopua was even named the best player in the grand final game. She officially retired from netball after this amazing World Cup win.
In 2024, Casey Kopua was one of the first people to be included in the Netball New Zealand Hall of Fame. This is a huge honor for her.
In 2025, Casey made a surprise return to netball. She played for GIANTS Netball in Australia's Suncorp Super Netball league. She joined as a replacement player after another player was injured. In her second game, she helped the GIANTS win their second game of the season.
Personal Life
In December 2012, Casey married Terry Kopua, a lawyer from Hamilton. They have three children. Their first child, a daughter, was born in May 2016. Casey later shared that she was pregnant with her second child, a boy, during the 2019 Netball World Cup, without even knowing it at the time! Their third child, another son, was born on Christmas Eve in 2021.
