Kayla Johnson (netball) facts for kids
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Kayla Malvina Johnson (née Cullen) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 13 February 1992 Auckland, New Zealand |
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| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Auckland Girls' Grammar School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Shaun Johnson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Married | 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Netball career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position(s): GD, WD, C, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Club team(s) | Apps | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–16 | Northern Mystics | 64 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–present | Northern Stars | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | New South Wales Swifts | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Correct as of 30 July 2019) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | National team(s) | Caps | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–09 | NZ Secondary Schools | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–13 | NZ U21 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–present | Fastnet Ferns | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–present | Silver Ferns | 30 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Correct as of 24 May 2016) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Kayla Malvina Johnson (born 13 February 1992), whose maiden name was Cullen, is a talented netball player from New Zealand. She started playing netball, basketball, and athletics at a national level when she was in high school. In 2008, she joined the New Zealand Under 21 (U21) netball team. She helped her team finish second at the 2009 World Youth Netball Championships, coming in just behind Australia.
At the end of 2009, Kayla signed with the Northern Mystics team for the 2010 ANZ Championship. In her first season, she played five games and was even nominated for the Best Young Player award. She was also chosen for the Fastnet Ferns, a special New Zealand team, to play in the 2010 World Netball Series in England, where her team won first place.
Early in her career, Kayla played in many different positions on the court. She later became known as a strong defender. In 2011, the Mystics team, with their new coach Debbie Fuller, reached the finals for the first time. Kayla played in every game for the Mystics that year. She was even in the starting lineup for their first grand final, which they lost to the Queensland Firebirds. Despite the loss, Kayla's great performance in 2011 earned her a spot in the ANZ Championship All-Star team as a wing defence. She also won the award for the ANZ Championship's Best Young Player that year.
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Personal Life
Kayla Johnson is married to Shaun Johnson, who used to be a professional rugby league player. They welcomed their daughter, Millah, in 2020. Kayla announced in January 2023 that she was expecting her second child. Because of this, she did not play in the 2023 ANZ Premiership season or the Netball World Cup.
Early Years and Career Start
Kayla Malvina Cullen was born on 13 February 1992 in Auckland, New Zealand. She grew up in a big family. Kayla went to Auckland Girls' Grammar School. During her school years, she competed nationally in athletics. She also represented New Zealand in both basketball and netball.
In 2008, when she was just 16, Kayla was chosen for the New Zealand Secondary Schools (NZSS) netball team. She was also selected for the Junior Tall Ferns basketball team. It was hard for her family to pay for her to play two sports for New Zealand. Luckily, people donated money to help her join the NZSS netball team's trip to Australia that year. Early in her career, Kayla mostly played as a shooter.
Overcoming Injury: 2009 U21 Career
Kayla played for Auckland-Waitakere at the national U21 level. She was also picked for the New Zealand U21 team's tour of Australia in 2008. During that tour, she had a serious injury: she tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). She had surgery and worked hard to recover.
In March 2009, Kayla was again selected for the NZSS netball team. The NZSS team beat Australia in the final of a regional high school tournament in Auckland in June that year. Kayla was named the best attacking player of the tournament. She also won the award for the overall best player of the tournament.
After her recovery and strong performance with NZSS, Kayla was called back to the New Zealand U21 team. This was for the 2009 World Youth Netball Championships in the Cook Islands. She had to get medical approval after her ACL injury in 2008. Kayla joined the NZ U21 team in the Cook Islands. They finished second at the World Youth Championships, with Australia taking first place.
Her amazing 2009 season ended with a big step. At just 17 years old, Kayla was chosen to play for the Northern Mystics in their 2010 ANZ Championship season. Her NZSS teammate, Sulu Tone-Fitzpatrick, also joined the Auckland team. Kayla's successful year in netball led to her being nominated for the ASB Auckland Sportswoman of the Year award for high school students.
Mystics Debut and Fastnet Ferns: 2010
In 2010, Kayla made her first appearance in the ANZ Championship with the Mystics. She was usually a shooter. However, Kayla and fellow NZ U21 player Sulu Tone-Fitzpatrick were asked to play in the Mystics' defensive area during the 2010 preseason. This was because some starting players were injured.
Kayla played five games for the Mystics in her first season. Even though she was listed as an attacking player, she mostly played in the Mystics' defence. She was nominated for the Best Young Player in the ANZ Championship for 2010. However, the award eventually went to Sharni Layton.
Kayla kept her spot in the New Zealand U21 team. She was also chosen for the Fastnet Ferns. This team represented New Zealand at the 2010 World Netball Series in Liverpool, England. The 2010 Fastnet Ferns team mostly had players from the wider Silver Ferns squad. They were less experienced than the team that won the first competition in 2009. Coach Robyn Broughton decided to use more experienced players for most games. However, Kayla was tried in different positions on the court, even playing at centre. The young New Zealand team had some struggles in the early games. But they went on to win the 2010 title, beating England 28–26 in the final.
All-Star and Best Young Player: 2011
Kayla played in many different positions early in her career. By 2011, she had become more comfortable playing as a defender. The Northern Mystics team was stronger for their 2011 season. They added former Australian player Megan Dehn to their attack. They also added former Silver Fern Anna Scarlett to their defence. The Mystics started their 2011 season well. They even had an early surprise win over the 2009 champions, the Melbourne Vixens. Kayla's speed and athletic ability were important in a makeshift defence lineup. This was needed after key defenders got injured.
Kayla played in all of the Mystics' ANZ Championship games in 2011. The Mystics finished the regular season in fourth place. They just made it into the finals. Great performances against the New South Wales Swifts and Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic helped the Auckland team reach their first ANZ Championship grand final.
Even though she was young, Kayla was chosen to start for the Mystics at Goal Defence (GD) in the grand final. They played against the unbeaten Queensland Firebirds. Kayla was matched up against the experienced Australian Goal Attack (GA) Natalie Medhurst. The first half of the grand final was very close. But the Firebirds gained momentum and won comfortably 57–44. Kayla was rested in the third quarter of the game. During that time, the Mystics' defenders found it hard to keep up with the Firebirds' fast attack.
After a fantastic 2011 season with the Mystics, Kayla was named the competition's Best Young Player. She was also selected for the first-ever ANZ Championship All-Star Team, playing at wing defence. Her Mystics teammate, Anna Scarlett, was named at goal defence. After her great ANZ Championship season, Kayla joined the New Zealand U21 team. They played a three-game series against Australia U21, which New Zealand lost 2–1.
Joining the Silver Ferns
Two of the national team's main defenders were injured. Because of this, Kayla was chosen for the Silver Ferns team for the end-of-2011 series against England and Australia. She played her first game against England. She was used in all five matches that year. She stayed in the team in 2012. She was moved to the midcourt to help cover for the retirement of Temepara George and the pregnancy of Joline Henry. Because George and Jade Clarke were not playing, it was expected that Kayla would play in the Centre (C) position for the Mystics' 2013 season.
Kayla was also named in the Fast5 Ferns team for the 2012 Fast5 Netball World Series. There, she won a gold medal, playing only in the Centre position. She was also part of the 2011 team, where she won a silver medal.
In 2015, she was selected for the Silver Ferns squad for the Netball World Cup in Sydney, Australia. Kayla played most of the tournament at Wing Defence (WD). She was in the starting seven players for the Grand Final. New Zealand won the silver medal, finishing behind Australia.
