Australian · Victoria, Australia · Born 4 March 1943Australian defender and coach who represented Australia and later coached the national team, becoming a major figure in Australian netball.
Wilma Shakespear (née Ritchie) was born on 4 March 1943 in Victoria, Australia, and won a gold medal as part of the Australian team, alongside Joyce Brown, at the inaugural 1963 World Netball Championships in England. She moved into coaching soon after her playing career ended, taking charge of the Australian national team across three separate stints — at the 1971 and 1979 World Championships and again for the 1987 World Championship and 1989 World Games. Shakespear's most significant legacy came through elite sport administration: she served as the founding head coach of netball at the Australian Institute of Sport from 1981 to 1990, helping build the systematic high-performance pathway that would shape generations of Australian netball talent, including many of the players who went on to dominate the World Championships and Commonwealth Games through the 1990s. She was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for her services to the sport and was inducted into the Australian Netball Hall of Fame in recognition of her contributions as both a player and one of the sport's foundational administrators.
Australian international and influential national coach
Career Honours
- Australia international
- Australian national coach
- Australian Netball Hall of Fame
Australian Athletes