Dame Ruth Ellina Aitken (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Fathers; born 31 July 1956) is a New Zealand former international-level

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...

player and former head coach of the New Zealand national netball team, the

Silver Ferns The New Zealand national netball team, commonly known as the Silver Ferns, represent New Zealand in international netball. The team take their nickname from the Silver Tree Fern (''Cyathea dealbata''), which is National symbols of New Zealand, ...

. Aitken was born in 1956 in

Paeroa Paeroa is a town in the Hauraki District of the Waikato Region in the North Island of New Zealand. Located at the base of the Coromandel Peninsula, it is close to the junction of the Waihou River and Ohinemuri River, and is approximately 20 kilo ...

. Her parents were Phil and Dorothy Fathers, who moved from Auckland to Paeroa after Aitken had children; that way she could continue with the travel required for her netball coaching career. A former goal-attack, Aitken represented New Zealand in the

1979 World Netball Championships The 1979 World Netball Championships was the fifth edition of the INF Netball World Cup, a quadrennial premier event in international netball. It was held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, featuring 19 teams. Australia, New Zealand and Tri ...

in Trinidad and Tobago, playing two warm-up games and then in one match against

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Aitken became coach of the Silver Ferns in 2001, replacing

Yvonne Willering Yvonne Mignon Willering (born 15 January 1950) is a Dutch-born New Zealand netball coach and former representative netball player. Willering played for the New Zealand national netball team – the Silver Ferns – from 1974 to 1983. She was c ...

. During Aitken's tenure as national head coach, the Silver Ferns won the

2003 World Netball Championships The 2003 World Netball Championships were the eleventh edition of the INF Netball World Cup, a quadrennial premier event in international netball. It was held in Kingston, Jamaica from 10 to 20 July. After 100 matches, New Zealand's Silver Ferns ...

and the

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

and

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

Commonwealth Games, but came second to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

at both the

2002 Commonwealth Games The 2002 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XVII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Manchester 2002 were held in Manchester, England, from 25 July to 4 August, 2002. The 2002 Games were to be hosted in the United Kingdom to coin ...

and the

2007 World Netball Championships The 2007 World Netball Championships was the 12th edition of the INF Netball World Cup, a quadrennial premier event in international netball co-ordinated by the International Federation of Netball Associations (IFNA). Sixteen nations contested the ...

. In February 2008, Aitken was re-signed as national head coach for a further four years. In late 2011, she retired as coach of the national team – and was later replaced by assistant Waimarama Taumaunu. In December 2012, it was announced that Aitken would take over as Technical Director and National Coach of

Netball Singapore Netball Singapore, founded in 1962, is the national body for netball in Singapore. In 2002, the Association was named a merit sport by the Singapore Sports Council. In 1999, Netball Singapore established the Netball Super League with six teams com ...

. She is a member of the

Sports Tribunal of New Zealand Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, t ...

. At the 2003

Halberg Awards The Halberg Awards are a set of awards, given annually since 1949, recognising New Zealand's top sporting achievements. They are named for New Zealand former middle-distance runner and Olympic gold medalist Sir Murray Halberg. The initial award ...

, Aitken was awarded Coach of the Year. In the 2011 Queen's Birthday Honours, Aitken was appointed an

Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...

, for services to netball, alongside Silver Ferns captain

Casey Williams Casey May Kopua (née Williams; born 19 June 1985) is a retired New Zealand international netball player and former captain of the New Zealand national netball team, the Silver Ferns, and the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic. Kopua became a member ...

. In the 2022 Queen's Birthday and Platinum Jubilee Honours, Aitken was promoted to

Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...

, for services to netball.

References

External links

2010 Silver Ferns coaches profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aitken, Ruth New Zealand netball coaches New Zealand netball players Dames Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit 1956 births Living people People from Paeroa New Zealand national netball team coaches ANZ Championship coaches Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic coaches 1979 World Netball Championships players Northern Mystics coaches Sporting dames Sportspeople from Waikato National Bank Cup coaches