Claire Kersten

New Zealand midcourter who has represented the Silver Ferns and played domestically for Central Pulse.

Claire Kersten was born on 9 July 1989 and first picked up netball aged eight at Waipukurau Primary School in Hawke's Bay. She made her ANZ Championship debut for Central Pulse in 2013 but had an unusually slow start — playing just 37 minutes across her first two seasons — before her game came together in 2017, the same year she earned her first Silver Ferns call-up. A versatile wing defence and centre known for her calm, steady presence in the midcourt, Kersten went on to win 21 caps for New Zealand, including a place in the Silver Ferns squad at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Domestically she became a mainstay of Central Pulse for eight seasons, winning two ANZ Premiership titles and later captaining the side, before moving to Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in 2022. She retired from domestic netball in 2023 having made 119 appearances, while remaining part of the Silver Ferns squad through that year's Netball World Cup in South Africa.

• Silver Ferns international
• ANZ Premiership title with Central Pulse