Geva Mentor facts for kids
Geva Mentor with her 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medal.
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| Full name | Geva Kate Mentor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 17 September 1984 Bournemouth, England |
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| Height | 191 cm (6 ft 3 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | St Peter's Catholic School | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Swinburne University of Technology | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Netball career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position(s): GK, GD, WD | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Club team(s) | Apps | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2007 | Team Bath | 60+ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Adelaide Thunderbirds | 46 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | → Surrey Storm | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2016 | Melbourne Vixens | 83 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Sunshine Coast Lightning | 33 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2023 | Collingwood Magpies | 42 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024-2025 | Leeds Rhinos 32 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | National team(s) | Caps | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2023 | England | 175 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Geva Kate Mentor CBE (born 17 September 1984) is a famous former England netball international. She currently plays for Leeds Rhinos Netball in the Netball Super League.
Geva has played for England in six Commonwealth Games. She won a gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. She also helped England win bronze medals at the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games. She also won bronze at the 2011, 2015, and 2019 Netball World Cups. In 2023, she won a silver medal at the Netball World Cup.
Geva Mentor was part of the Team Bath teams that won the 2005–06 and 2006–07 Netball Superleague titles. She also won championships in the ANZ Championship with the 2010 Adelaide Thunderbirds and the 2014 Melbourne Vixens. She led the Sunshine Coast Lightning to win the 2017 and 2018 Super Netball titles as captain.
At the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, Geva read the Athletes Oath during the Opening Ceremony. In 2019, she was given the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her great contributions to netball.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Geva Mentor was born and grew up in Bournemouth, England. Her parents are Greg and Yvonne Mentor, and she has a brother named Raoul. Her mother's family had lived in the Dorset area for many generations. Her father was originally from Saint Lucia.
Geva attended St Peter's Catholic School. She later studied at the University of Bath's Centre of Excellence. She also earned a Bachelor of Education degree from the Swinburne University of Technology.
Club Netball Career
Geva Mentor has played for several top netball clubs throughout her career. She has won many championships and individual awards.
Team Bath
From 2001 to 2007, Geva played for Team Bath. She first played in the Super Cup and then in the Netball Super League. In 2004, her team won the Super Cup.
In the 2005–06 season, Team Bath won the first-ever Netball Super League title. Geva was named Player of the Match in the Grand Final when Team Bath won the title again in 2006–07.
Adelaide Thunderbirds
In 2008, Geva Mentor moved to Australia to play in the ANZ Championship for Adelaide Thunderbirds. In 2010, she helped the Thunderbirds win the championship. She was also named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2010 Grand Final.
Melbourne Vixens
Between 2011 and 2016, Geva played for Melbourne Vixens in the ANZ Championship. In 2012, the Vixens were minor premiers and reached the Grand Final. Geva was chosen for the 2012 ANZ Championship All Star team. She was also named the Vixens' Best and Fairest player.
In 2014, Geva played her 100th ANZ Championship game. She was the first international player to reach this milestone. She then helped the Vixens win the 2014 ANZ Championship. She also won the Sharelle McMahon Medal in 2014 and shared it in 2015.
Sunshine Coast Lightning
In 2016, Geva signed with Sunshine Coast Lightning in Super Netball. In February 2017, she became the captain of the new team. She led the Lightning to win the 2017 and 2018 Super Netball titles.
Geva was named the Suncorp Super Netball Player of the Year in 2017. She was also selected as the best goalkeeper in the Super Netball Team of the Year in both 2017 and 2018.
Collingwood Magpies
From 2019 to 2023, Geva Mentor played for Collingwood Magpies in Super Netball. She was a co-captain of the team in 2019. In both 2019 and 2020, she won the Magpies' best and fairest award. In 2020, Geva was again named as the best goalkeeper in the Super Netball Team of the Year.
Leeds Rhinos
Geva Mentor returned to the Netball Super League in 2024. She joined Leeds Rhinos after playing 16 seasons in Australia's ANZ Championship and Super Netball.
Retirement
On June 3, 2025, Geva Mentor announced that she would retire from professional netball. Her final games will be at the end of the 2025 Netball Super League season.
International Netball Career
Geva Mentor was first chosen for the senior England squad in November 2000 when she was just 15 years old. She made her first senior appearance on July 11, 2001, at age 16, against New Zealand.
In 2002, Geva played in her first Commonwealth Games. In 2003, she played in her first Netball World Cup. She was a key player for England, helping them win bronze medals at the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games. She also won bronze at the 2011, 2015, and 2019 Netball World Cups. She was captain of England at the 2015 Netball World Cup.
Geva was a very important member of the England team that won the gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. In 2019, she received the CBE for her services to netball.
In September 2022, Geva received an Honorary Doctorate in Sport from the University of Chichester. In November 2022, she received her second Honorary Doctorate in Arts from Bournemouth University, her hometown. Also in November 2022, she officially opened The Geva Mentor Fitness Park in Bournemouth. On May 18, 2023, Geva announced she would retire from international netball after the 2023 Netball World Cup in Cape Town.
Personal Life
Geva Mentor became a dual British and Australian citizen in 2015.
In 2019, Geva released her autobiography titled Leap: Making the jump to take netball to the top of the world.
In 2024, Geva Mentor was announced as the first Performance Director for Netball France. In 2025, she married Florian Christ in France. They are expecting their first child in October 2025.
Awards and Achievements
Geva Mentor has received many awards and honors throughout her netball career.
Team Awards
- Commonwealth Games
- Gold Medal: 2018
- Fast5 Netball World Series
- Winners: 2017
- Taini Jamison Trophy
- Winners: 2021
- Super Netball
- Winners: 2017, 2018 (with Sunshine Coast Lightning)
- ANZ Championship
- Winners: 2010 (with Adelaide Thunderbirds), 2014 (with Melbourne Vixens)
- Netball Superleague
- Winners: 2005–06, 2006–07 (with Team Bath)
- Super Cup
- Winners: 2004 (with Team Bath)
Individual Awards
- 2007: Netball Superleague Grand Final Player of the Match
- 2010: ANZ Championship Grand Final MVP
- 2012: Vixens' Best and Fairest
- 2012, 2013, 2014: ANZ Championship All Star
- 2014: The Guardian World's Best Netballer
- 2015: Sharelle McMahon Medal (shared)
- 2017: Super Netball Player of the Year
- 2017, 2018, 2020: Super Netball Team of the Year
- 2019: Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
