Maria Folau facts for kids
Playing for the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in 2009
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | Solonaima Maria Tuta'ia 18 February 1987 Tokoroa, New Zealand |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Lynfield College Mount Albert Grammar School Blockhouse Bay Intermediate |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Married | 15 November 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Siliva Siliva (2nd cousin) Faifili Levave |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Netball career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position(s): GA, GS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Club team(s) | Apps | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–07 | Auckland Diamonds | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–09 | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 31 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–18 | Northern Mystics | 164 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Adelaide Thunderbirds | 13 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | National team(s) | Caps | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–19 |  New Zealand |
150 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last updated: 22 July 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Solonaima Maria Folau (born Tuta'ia on February 18, 1987, in Tokoroa, New Zealand) is a famous retired New Zealand netball player. She was a regular player for the New Zealand national netball team, known as the Silver Ferns.
Contents
Maria Folau's Early Life
Maria Folau was born Solonaima Maria Tuta'ia in Tokoroa on February 18, 1987. Her parents, Fuisami and Niukini Tuta'ia, moved to New Zealand from Samoa in 1983. Her father worked in forestry, and her mother was a homemaker.
Maria was named after her grandmothers, Solonaima and Malia. When she started school, her teacher found her first name hard to say. So, Maria began using her middle name, which is how she became known as Maria.
School Netball Star
Maria went to Lynfield College for most of her schooling. In her final year, she moved to Mount Albert Grammar School (MAGS). At MAGS, she became the captain of the top netball team. Under her leadership, the team finished fourth in two major tournaments: the Upper North Island Secondary Schools tournament and the New Zealand Secondary Schools' Championships.
In 2003, Maria was chosen for the New Zealand Under 21 (U21) squad. Just two years later, in 2005, she helped her team win the World Youth Cup in Miami. That same year, she was invited to join the senior Silver Ferns team. Her first game for the Silver Ferns was during their tour in Jamaica.
Maria Folau's Netball Career
Maria Folau had a long and successful career in netball, playing for several top teams.
Starting Her Club Journey
From 2005 to 2007, Maria played domestic netball for the Auckland Diamonds in the National Bank Cup. When the ANZ Championship started in 2008, she joined the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic. There, she teamed up with the legendary player Irene van Dyk in the shooting area. Maria played with the Magic for two years. In 2010, she moved back to Auckland to play for the Northern Mystics.
Key Moments and Achievements
During her time playing for New Zealand, Maria Folau won many important medals. She earned gold medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the 2006 Commonwealth Games, and the 2009 World Netball Series. She also won a silver medal at the 2007 World Netball Championships.
In the 2010 ANZ Championship season, Maria was sent off the court during a game against the Swifts. This happened in the last two minutes because she kept breaking the rules. She could not play any more of that match.
Maria was well-known for scoring crucial goals, especially in big games. For example, she scored the winning goal against Australia in the gold medal match at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. She also scored the winning goal in the final seconds against the Magic during the 2011 ANZ Championship season.
In 2014, Maria Folau was honored by her old school, Mt. Albert Grammar School. She was added to their Hall of Fame.
Later Career and Retirement
After playing nine seasons with the Northern Mystics, Maria joined the Adelaide Thunderbirds in Australia for the 2019 Suncorp Super Netball season. She was the top goal scorer for the Thunderbirds that year and won the club's best player award. However, she left the club at the end of the season.
Maria also represented New Zealand at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the 2019 Netball World Cup.
In December 2019, Netball New Zealand announced that Maria Folau was retiring from all netball. She finished her career with 150 games for the Silver Ferns. This makes her the second most-capped player for New Zealand, just behind Laura Langman.
In February 2022, there were reports that the Queensland Firebirds team was talking to Maria about possibly playing again.
Maria Folau's Personal Life
Maria Folau is married to Israel Folau, a rugby player from Australia with Tongan heritage. They got married in a private outdoor ceremony in Kangaroo Valley, New South Wales, on November 15, 2017. After their marriage, Maria changed her last name from Tuta'ia to Folau.
