New Zealander · Taihape, New Zealand · Born 31 October 1984New Zealand midcourter who won Commonwealth gold with the Silver Ferns and became known for dynamic feeding in the ANZ Championship and English Superleague.
Liana Leota (née Barrett-Chase) was born on 31 October 1984 in Taihape, New Zealand, and came through New Zealand's domestic system with the Western Flyers before winning the 2007 National Bank Cup title with the Southern Sting. She made her Silver Ferns debut against Australia in 2008 after moving to the newly formed Southern Steel, quickly establishing herself as one of the competition's most dynamic midcourters and winning the 2010 ANZ Championship's Most Valuable Player award. Leota was a key member of the Silver Ferns team that won gold at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, before taking a break from international netball in 2011 for family reasons. She made an acclaimed comeback to elite domestic netball in 2014, and went on to play in England's Netball Superleague from 2016, winning a title with Manchester Thunder before moving into coaching as technical coach with the England Roses, including their run to a silver medal at the 2023 World Cup, and later as director of netball at Leeds Rhinos. In 2024 Leota returned home to New Zealand as assistant coach of the Southern Steel alongside co-captain-turned-head-coach Wendy Frew, her former Steel and Silver Ferns teammate.
Dynamic Silver Fern wing attack and ANZ Championship standout
Career Honours
- Commonwealth Games gold 2010
- Netball World Cup silver 2011
- National Bank Cup title with Southern Sting 2007
New Zealander Athletes