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Irene van Dyk, MNZM (née Viljoen; born 21 June 1972 in Vereeniging, South Africa) is a South African–New Zealand netball player. Van Dyk is one of the world's best-known netballers and one of the most capped international players in history. She made her international debut in the South African national team in 1994 during South Africa's tour of England. Irene van Dyk rose to international prominence during the 1995 Netball World Championships in Birmingham, in which South Africa famously defeated New Zealand to reach the final of the tournament. She continued to represent South Africa in international netball up to 1999.

In 2000 van Dyk travelled to New Zealand to play for the Capital Shakers in the Coca-Cola Cup. Later that year she decided to settle in New Zealand permanently. A berth in the New Zealand national team, the Silver Ferns, quickly followed, sparking some controversy. She debuted for the Silver Ferns later that year, in which the Silver Ferns suffered a heavy defeat to Australia. In 2003, van Dyk transferred from the Shakers to the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic, and continues to play with the team in the ANZ Championship.

Van Dyk's international career has spanned more than 15 years, during which she has amassed 72 caps for South Africa and more than 100 for New Zealand. A tall, athletically mobile and accurate goaler, she has remained in the goal shooter position for most of her career, often shooting at 90% per game. Van Dyk has competed at four Netball World Championships and three Commonwealth Games, winning gold with the Silver Ferns at the 2003 World Championships in Kingston and the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

She currently resides in the Wellington region of New Zealand with her husband Christie and daughter Bianca. Following the Silver Ferns' victory at the 2003 World Championships, she was voted "New Zealand Sportswoman of the Year" at the Halberg awards; van Dyk was also nominated for the same award in 2001 and 2005. Irene van Dyk became a citizen of New Zealand in 2005, and remains one of New Zealand's most popular sportspeople. In 2009, she was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2009 Queen's Birthday Honours for her services to New Zealand netball.

Early life
Irene van Dyk was born in Vereeniging, Gauteng Province on 21 June 1972, to parents Herman and Irene Viljoen. Her father was a farmer; her mother was a matron at Vereeniging Hospital and also played korfball at regional level. Irene was the youngest of four children: her older siblings are Gerrit, Janita and Herman. She grew up on the family farm, located 30 km outside of Johannesburg in Meyerton.

Van Dyk started playing netball at age nine. At the time, she was more interested in track and field, particularly hurdles. Older sister Janita played netball as a goal attack, and Irene practised shooting with her. Growing up, van Dyk was small in height and was often overlooked for representative teams. During her later years in high school she trialled in the Vaal Triangle regional netball competition, and succeeded in making the regional team. The Vaal Triangle team reached the semi-finals of the national provincial competition: van Dyk starred in the role of goal keeper and was named in the South African schools' top 28 players. The following year, she was named in the top 10.

In 1990 van Dyk left high school and attended Potchefstroom University, where she earned a teaching diploma. During her time in college she also met her future husband, Christie. She devoted less time to athletics, although Christie helped her with netball training. She also played for Western Transvaal and was named in the South African U21 netball team as a goal shooter. It was also during her university studies that her father died of a heart attack while in hospital. In July 2002, van Dyk earned her place in the senior national netball team. At the time the team did not compete internationally, as South African sporting teams were still barred from international sporting competition due to apartheid. But with the abolition of apartheid in the early 1990s, South African sports teams were welcomed back into the wider sporting world: in 1994, the South African netball team, under the new moniker of the "Proteas", returned to international-level netball.

Proteas career
Van Dyk was selected for the national team in 1994, and later that year travelled with the team during their tour of Ireland and Britain under head coach Marlene Wagner. Her international debut was during the Proteas' first match of the tour against Northern Ireland, which the South Africans won, although she sat out the last quarter with an ankle injury. The Proteas won their next match in Cardiff, followed by a 5–0 series whitewash of England. She returned to South Africa after the tour, and several weeks later Irene married Christie van Dyk on 10 December 1994.

The following year, the Proteas played warmup matches against Australia and New Zealand in the leadup to the 1995 Netball World Championships in Birmingham, England. But it was during the World Championships that Irene van Dyk rose to international netball prominence. At their first Netball World Championships since 1967, the South African team qualified for the finals with a famous 59–57 victory over the Silver Ferns; the Proteas victory came less than one month after South Africa's rugby Springboks defeated New Zealand's All Blacks by 15–12 in the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The final of the 1995 Netball World Championships was contested between South Africa and Australia, which the Australians won 68–48. Controversy arose a few weeks after the tournament when five players from the World Championship team were dropped in favour of five black players, coinciding with new sporting quotas, for the upcoming All Africa Games. The remaining World Championship players withdrew from the team in protest, including van Dyk.

Netball officials in Queensland offered van Dyk an opportunity in 1995 to play in their state. She initially agreed, but in early 1996 she pulled out of the move. That year, Irene and Christie van Dyk moved to Cape Town. Irene joined the Western Province netball team, coached by Marlene Wagner, and got a job as a car salesperson. 1996 also saw the England netball team toured South Africa. England toured South Africa again the following year for a three-test series, which the Proteas won 3–0.

Van Dyk became pregnant in 1997 and took maternity leave from the Proteas. She gave birth to her first child, Bianca, on 21 April 1998, and resumed netball training several weeks after the delivery. Van Dyk missed out on the team to the African Games in Zimbabwe, but still qualified for the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, where netball was contested for the first time. South Africa finished 4th in Kuala Lumpur after losing 56–54 to England in the bronze medal playoff. Tensions in the team resulted in all 12 players, including van Dyk, signing a letter requesting that Wagner be removed from the coaching panel; van Dyk later expressed regret for her involvement in the incident. Wagner was sacked as national coach, which also coincided with a government inquiry that called for more progress in advancing black and coloured players and officials. In 1999, van Dyk was appointed captain for the first time, under new co-coaches Louise du Plessis and Bennie Saayman, for the June test series in New Zealand.

Later that year she announced her intention to play for Wellington in the 2000 season of the New Zealand's domestic league, the Coca-Cola Cup (later the National Bank Cup). Speculation arose that she could also emigrate to New Zealand and play for the Silver Ferns: international rules at the time allowed players to change national allegiance on a yearly basis. She travelled to Christchurch with the Proteas for the 1999 Netball World Championships. Van Dyk scored 359 goals from 381 attempts (94.2%) over the two weeks of the tournament, although South Africa finished in 5th place.

Move to New Zealand
Prior to the start of the 1998 Coca-Cola Cup in New Zealand, Netball Wellington president Kathy Doyle contacted van Dyk about the possibility of playing with the Wellington-based Capital Shakers. But at that time Van Dyk was pregnant with her first child. She also declined to play in the 1999 season, as it conflicted with the Proteas' preparation for the World Championships that year. However, later in 1999 Van Dyk agreed to play with the Shakers for the 2000 season. Doyle arranged for Irene, her mother and Bianca to travel to New Zealand, while Christie continued to work in South Africa. Doyle also found work for van Dyk as a teacher at Fergusson Intermediate in Upper Hutt.

Van Dyk joined England's Helen Lonsdale as the import players in the Shakers lineup for 2000 Coca-Cola Cup season. Coached by former Silver Fern Lois Muir and captained by future Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic coach Noeline Taurua, the Shakers qualified for their first semi-finals. The team travelled to Christchurch for their semi-final against the Canterbury Flames, which saw van Dyk marked by Fijian international goal keeper Vilimaina Davu. Van Dyk shot 25 goals from 30 attempts in the Shakers' 50–35 loss to the Flames. The team finished third for the 2000 season, their highest ever placing in the competition at the time. For her part, van Dyk averaged a shooting accuracy of 93%. Muir noted that match attendance at Shakers' home games increased in 2000, due in some part to van Dyk's arrival. She was also named best attacking player of the competition that season. Van Dyk later signed up to play for Wellington in the National Provincial Cup, who were subsequently relegated to second division.

In April that year, Irene and Christie van Dyk decided to settle in New Zealand permanently. Christie returned to South Africa and informed new Proteas coach Elise Kortze of his wife's decision. Van Dyk's decision to stay in New Zealand took South African netball officials by surprise, although Kortze did not express opposition to the move. Christie returned to New Zealand and eventually secured a position as a development officer for Cricket Wellington.

Van Dyk made herself eligible for the Silver Ferns in April 2000. Her possible selection into the Silver Ferns caused some controversy. Several prominent Silver Ferns players also spoke out against the rules that allowed her inclusion, only eight months after leading South Africa in the 1999 World Championships. Donna Wilkins (née Loffhagen) was one critic of the international eligibility rules, but spoke out in support of van Dyk upon her inclusion in the New Zealand team.

Silver Ferns debut
Irene van Dyk's early career with the New Zealand team was marked by her attempts to adapt to a faster pace with the Silver Ferns, and with the rest of her new team mates adapting to her style of holding under the goal. Van Dyk made her debut for the Silver Ferns in the first match of the team's Australian tour, in Newcastle. She was not named in the starting lineup, but took the court in the second half, shooting 11 goals from 15 attempts (73.3%). Nevertheless, the Silver Ferns were hammered 53–30 by the Australians.

The Silver Ferns were more successful against a composite Team Pasifika, followed by a three-test series whitewash of a World VII team. Van Dyk travelled with the Silver Ferns back to South Africa to compete in the 2000 Tri-Nations series against Australia and the Proteas. Van Dyk publicly commented that she expected a hostile reception from the home crowds in her first appearance against her country of birth,, although she was given a generally positive reception by the crowds during the tournament. New Zealand went through undefeated to win the 2000 Tri-Nations, defeating South Africa twice and Australia once. Van Dyk had the highest shooting accuracy for the tournament, shooting at 89%. By the end of 2000, Van Dyk was also named New Zealand netball personality of the year.

2001
Van Dyk continued to play with the Capital Shakers in 2001, under new head coach Tanya Dearns. She was joined in the shooting circle by a young Jodi Brown (née Te Huna), and the two shooters formed a successful combination throughout the season. The Shakers once again made the top four, but were edged out 60–49 in their semi-final against the Southern Sting in Invercargill.

Van Dyk was selected into the Silver Ferns team for the Tri-Nations series in Australia that year. She figured prominently in the Silver Ferns' 55–40 win over Australia in the opening test, shooting 44 from 50 (88%). Australian coach Jill McIntosh commented after the match that New Zealand's recent success was due to their talented imports, with particular reference to van Dyk. The win was followed with two victories over the Proteas and a loss to Australia, which nonetheless was enough for New Zealand to win the series on goal aggregate. The 2001 international season continued in July with a three-test clean sweep of England in New Zealand, producing a formidable shooting combination between van Dyk and Donna Wilkins.

In domestic netball, van Dyk continued with Wellington in the National Provincial Championships, although a crowded playing schedule forced her to miss playing club netball for Wellington PIC. The tournament was revamped for that year, which saw Wellington return to the first division. Van Dyk was again partnered with Brown in Wellington shooting circle. Unable to win a game in last year's NPC, Wellington improved their performance in the 2001 tournament under new head coach Gail Parata, but narrowly missed out on a semi-finals berth.

The Silver Ferns late-year schedule included a three-test series against Australia in New Zealand. Van Dyk had by this time become a certain starter in the team, partnering in the shooting circle with either Wilkins or Belinda Colling. Her reputation as the world's best goal shooter had also become entrenched in the media on both sides of the Tasman. After the first two tests were split between the two teams, Van Dyk became the focus of the Australian team's strategy for the deciding test in Christchurch; Australia defeated New Zealand in the decider by 50–46. At the end of 2001, Yvonne Willering was sacked as head coach of the Silver Ferns; she was replaced by NZA coach Ruth Aitken. Van Dyk expressed surprise and disappointment at the decision to sack Willering. Van Dyk was also nominated for "New Zealand Sportswoman of the Year" at the 2001 Halberg awards, although she did not win the award.

2002
For the start of 2002, the Silver Ferns completed a 3–0 clean sweep of Jamaica, with two of the tests being decided by only two goals. The second test was particularly memorable for van Dyk, who was controversially called by one of the umpires several times for stepping. Back in New Zealand, van Dyk was again partnered with Brown in the Shakers' domestic league campaign. The 2002 lineup also included fellow South African Leana de Bruin (née du Plooy). Van Dyk emerged as the league's top shooter at the end of the round-robin stage, averaging 91 per cent shooting accuracy. The Shakers progressed the finals stage, facing the Sting in their semi-final in Invercargill. Van Dyk managed to shoot 34 from 36 (94%) despite having recovered from the flu, although the Shakers lost to the hosts by 68–49. Van Dyk also represented Wellington at the National Provincial Championships, and played with Wellington East in their victorious season in the Wellington local netball competition.

Following test matches against Barbados and New Zealand A, Ruth Aitken included van Dyk in the Silver Ferns lineup for the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. A dispute had emerged the previous year regarding van Dyk's eligibility to play for New Zealand: under Commonwealth Games rules, van Dyk was required to have lived in New Zealand for three years, or else she needed approval from the South African Commonwealth Games Association; Van Dyk had earlier rejected an offer to play for South Africa in Manchester. While Netball South Africa strongly opposed van Dyk representing New Zealand, she was eventually cleared by the South African Commonwealth Games Association and the Commonwealth Games Federation. Australian netball officials criticised the decision, arguing that it would open the door for players from other countries to join more powerful netballing nations and weaken the sport globally.

In Manchester, New Zealand progressed easily through the pool stages and defeated Jamaica in the semi-finals to set up a gold-medal clash with Australia. The 2002 Commonwealth Games final between New Zealand and Australia was one of the most closely contested matches in international test history. The match went into double extra-time, with Australian edging out New Zealand by 57–55 to win the gold medal. Van Dyk for her part expressed disappointment with her shooting performance during the game, missing 12 of her 34 shots in the first half. Later that year, fellow South African and Wellington player Leana de Bruin announced her intention to move to New Zealand as well.

Transfer to the Magic
After the Commonwealth Games in 2002, van Dyk announced that she was leaving the Capital Shakers and moving to the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic on a three-year contract. Van Dyk explained her decision to switch to the Magic, saying that she wanted to work on establishing a strong combination with Magic's midcourt in preparation for the 2003 Netball World Championships. The Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic speculated that van Dyk's move north would increase crowd numbers at their home games. Fellow South African and Shakers player Leana de Bruin shortly afterwards switched to the Magic as well; goal attack Jodi Te Huna and midcourter Frances Solia also left the Shakers, heading for Canterbury. After the move, van Dyk resigned from her full-time position with Netball Wellington, although committed to teaching at Upper Hutt Intermediate School after taking a year off teaching.

In late 2002, van Dyk joined the Silver Ferns in a test series against South Africa. The Silver Ferns had suffered from a number of high-profile retirements throughout the year, including Bernice Mene and Linda Vagana, and the unavailability of shooting partners Donna Loffhagen and Daneka Wipiiti. The Silver Ferns won both tests easily (71–33 and 86–37), with van Dyk scoring 99 goals throughout the series.

2003
Despite changing to the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic, van Dyk and her family continued to live in Wellington, while Irene travelled to one practice session a week in Hamilton. Magic coach Noeline Taurua, who played alongside van Dyk three years earlier, announced a shortened 10-player lineup that included van Dyk and de Bruin, as well as high school students Laura Langman and Casey Williams.

Van Dyk and fellow former Protea de Bruin were selected for the Silver Ferns in their tour of the United Kingdom. De Bruin's entrance into the Silver Ferns did not attract the controversy that surrounded van Dyk's selection in 2000. The Silver Ferns defeated England by 52–36 in their first match, with van Dyk shooting 36 from 38 (95%).


 * 3 test wins against England for Silver Ferns in UK
 * The addition of the two South Africans, in combination with Jenny-May Coffin, Amigene Metcalfe and Joline Henry, strengthened the Magic's chances of making the finals; previously, the best they had managed was third in 2001.
 * In the Magic's first hitout against the Shakers, van Dyk scored an amazing 64 goals from 64 attempts (100%).
 * In late April, van Dyk was named in the Silver Ferns squad to contest the World Championships in Jamaica. She was partnered in the shooting circle by Colling, Brown and Tania Dalton, with fellow South African de Bruin also making the team.
 * Magic defeated by Northern Force in semi-finals (50–42, North Shore Events Centre).
 * Silver Ferns began their World Champs preparation with a 3–0 series whitewash of England. Aitken trialled new shooting combinations.
 * World Champs
 * Van Dyk joined the Silver Ferns as they contested the 2003 Netball World Championships in Kingston, Jamaica, which were held from 10–20 July. New Zealand progressed comfortably through the pool stages, before defeating Jamaica in the semi-finals to set up another finals clash with Australia. Van Dyk put on a dominant shooting display throughout the tournament, with an average shooting accuracy of over 90%. In a closely fought final, New Zealand held on to win by 49 goals to 47, to win their first World Championships since 1987.
 * Returning to New Zealand, van Dyk joined Waikato's provincial netball side in the National Provincial Championship. Van Dyk's shooting accuracy helped to secure victory for Waikato, and her first NPC title.
 * During her time with the Silver Ferns, van Dyk had become acknowledged as the world's premier goal shooter. and one of the greats of the international game.

2004

 * Following their World Championship win, the Silver Ferns cleaned up at the 2003 Halberg Awards, announced in early 2004. Included in this, van Dyk took out sportswoman of the year, while the Silver Ferns picked up the Supreme Halberg Award.
 * Australia appointed tall defenders in Demelza McCloud (née Fellowes) and Bianca Chatfield as a counter to van Dyk, who stood 7 cm clear of incumbent goal keeper Liz Ellis. The Silver Ferns completed a 3–0 series whitewash of Australia in New Zealand, with van Dyk getting the better of the introduced taller defenders.
 * In their 2004 NBC campaign, the Magic reached the playoff stages, only to be bundled out by the Southern Sting in the minor semi-final. For her part, van Dyk once again topped the shooting percentage statistics over the season, shooting at 94%. Waikato also won their second National Provincial Championship, with a strong shooting performance from van Dyk.

Van Dyk joined the Silver Ferns in their end-of-year tour of Australia, during which she earned her 50th test cap for New Zealand. With regular shooting partners Belinda Colling and Donna Wilkins unavailable, van Dyk was partnered with less experienced shooters Jodi Te Huna and Angela Mitchell. Liz Ellis featured in the Australian goal keeper position, and despite being injured in a collision with van Dyk during the second test was able to lead her side to a 2–1 series win.

2005

 * Van Dyk and Amigene Metcalfe were named as co-captains for the Magic in their 2005 NBC campaign.
 * A lack of available shooters to partner van Dyk continued to be a concern for Silver Ferns selectors, a year out from the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. Van Dyk was partnered with Jodi Brown as the only specialist shooters for the start-of-year test series against England; Aitken also brought in young NZ U21 shooter Maria Tutaia as cover, although Tutaia did not take the court. Despite winning the series 3–0, the lack of specialist shooters meant that the Silver Ferns continued to rely on van Dyk for much of their goals.
 * The Magic made the final of the 2005 NBC season, facing six-time champions the Southern Sting. Prior to the NBC final, Van Dyk became citizens of New Zealand. Despite the Magic having secured a home final, the match was played in Invercargill at the Sting's home venue, due to the unavailability of Magic venues. Nevertheless, the Magic won their first championship with a 65–39 victory. The 2005 season was the final one of van Dyk's initial three-year contract with the Magic. After initial speculation, van Dyk chose to remain with the Waikato/Bay of Plenty franchise, extending her contract for another two years.
 * Later that month, the Silver Ferns played Australia in Sydney, winning a physical encounter over their trans-Tasman rivals 50–43.
 * Waikato were defeated by Netball North in the NPC.
 * Australia travelled to New Zealand in a reciprocal trans-Tasman test match in Auckland. Van Dyk played in her 129th international test match, surpassing the previous record set by England player Kendra Slawinski. The Silver Ferns won the match by a record score of 61–36.
 * The Silver Ferns ended 2005 with a three-test series against Jamaica and Barbados. Belinda Colling returned to assist van Dyk and Brown in the shooting circle, while Tutaia also made her on-court debut. All twelve members of the touring team were retained for the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

2006

 * Second Magic win
 * Commonwealth Games gold

2007

 * World Championship silver
 * Final National Bank Cup

2008

 * Magic minor premiers and runners-up
 * Best shooting stats in ANZC
 * Goal attack in international tests

2009

 * Magic losing preliminary finalists
 * Best shooting stats in ANZC
 * 100th test match for NZ
 * World Netball Series gold

2010

 * Magic runners-up: partnered again with Te Huna
 * Commonwealth Games gold