Vitality Netball Superleague: Cat Tuivaiti discusses returning to court as a mother | Netball News

Cat Tuivaiti is one of netball’s most creative athletes (Image credit: Huw Evans Picture Agency)

Cat Tuivaiti discusses returning to court as a mother, the support she has from Severn Stars and her desire to inspire young athletes to follow their instincts.

Tuivaiti landed in England in January with “boxes to tick” still in netball and a desire to see if she could return to court after having two children.

In order to make her return to court and write the final chapter of her playing career, Tuivaiti left her professional rugby player husband in Italy and joined up with long-term friend and someone she considers to be more like a sister, Melissa Bessell.

Bessell’s mother was the person who scouted Tuivaiti when she was just a teenager, and the duo have known each other ever since.

“We’ve been in each other’s lives for a very long time,” Tuivaiti said to Sky Sports’ Hannah Wilkes about Bessell, while her two young children play in the other room with Stars’ head coach.

“When she asks anything, I’m there. It’s about whatever I can do, because it’s more than just a coach-player relationship, we go deeper than that.”

Melissa Bessell has put together a superb squad at Severn Stars this season (Image credit: Huw Evans Picture Agency)

As Severn Stars’ head coach, Bessell asked Tuivaiti during the Vitality Netball Superleague’s off-season to return as a player, and not only as a coach.

It was a proposal which Tuivaiti, who had given birth to her second son Leo just a few weeks before, initially giggled at with husband Jimmy. However, she then decided she did want to take it on and Jimmy was fully supportive.

I want to see if I can play netball after having two kids, to be honest. It’s something that I didn’t think I was going to try and do but Melissa put the challenge in front of me. It’s something I need to do.

Cat Tuivaiti (Image credit: Huw Evans Picture Agency)

In order to play Superleague netball and tick off the final boxes she wants to as an athlete, Tuivaiti has moved to England and left Jimmy in Italy.

Together with children Bashy and Leo, they have moved in with Bessell. Tuivaiti’s niece has come to England too, in order to complete the unit and provide the level of support that a mother, who is an athlete, needs.

In the early part of this season, Tuivaiti has been grappling with a calf strain, something which has caused her great frustration.

“I’m a little bit older… there, I said it!! Little things like this, they do hang around a little bit longer than they used to when I was younger,” she said.

“At the same time, in the last few years my body has had two children, so I need to respect what I’ve done and the little time I’ve had to come back into the game.

“Aside from all of that, I’ve also been in another country where I haven’t had the support to possibly get myself in the best shape to be the best netballer I can be. I am still good at what I do.

“I did land here and I was playing netball right up until the opening rounds where my calf decided that it didn’t want to play netball with me.

“Getting through an injury is really mentally draining and it’s something that you don’t know about until you actually have to go through it,” Tuivaiti continued.

“To do it in a situation like this, when I have brought my kids over, taken them away from their dad so I can play this game of netball and to not actually do it, I did cry about it. I had to have an emotion about it so I could move forwards. It is frustrating, but I’m not down and out yet.”

Tuivaiti is one of a number of mothers playing within the Vitality Netball Superleague, including her team-mate at Severn Stars, Liana Leota, Claire Maxwell, Sophia Candappa and Lauren Nicholls, to name just a few.

It’s a true testament to her love for the game and also her pure strength to get through having that many children and still playing the game at this level, and like that. We can all agree that she’s one of the most formidable wing attacks, occasional centre, that has played in this league for this long. It’s crazy! Icon.

Cat Tuivaiti about Liana Leota (Huw Evans Picture Agency)

Physically, Tuivaiti said it is a challenge on her body, however she has noticed other benefits.

“Overall, emotionally and mentally, the game is a little bit more fun for me,” she said.

“Netball consumed my life, a lot of it and I don’t mean that in a horrible way, I mean it in a way that it changed my life and shaped how I deal with conflict. It’s a huge part of my resilience that I’ve developed as an adult.

“It was a big part of me and now my children are that part. I get to be two completely different humans in one day; mum and then when I go to netball, it’s just about netball. It makes it a little bit more enjoyable; I often crave it.

“As hard as it gets and as frustrated as it gets, I’m very lucky to be able to do it. So, it is a little bit more fun now for me as a mum.”

Back home in New Zealand, Tuivaiti grew up in an environment that always had children around their elite teams. In England, that is only just becoming the norm and she is pleased to be part of that change

“I just love that my team and team-mates include my sons, because I can give everything if I know that they’re looked after and cared about,” she said.

Now, the next step for Tuivaiti is to return to court and feel like she is able to fully contribute to Stars. Her ability to coach and help shape the team has been there in the early rounds, but until she is delivering in the circle, she will feel like something is missing.

Cat Tuivaiti brings a natural flair to the sport and one that’s replicated by few others (Image credit: Huw Evans Picture Agency)

Tuivaiti’s natural ability and style is unique to her and unique to the Vitality Netball Superleague. The athlete, who calls her team-mate Leota an icon, is deemed by so many to be one too.

No-look passes, over the shoulder passes and reverse bounce passes are the norm when Tuivaiti is on court and she wants others to follow her lead and flourish as the season progresses.

“There’s so much to this game and we have these young ones coming through who are, respectfully, trying to just be like someone else,” Tuivaiti said

“If we can give them a little bit of encouragement and courage to just play what they see and feel, I think the game will keep moving in a good direction.

“In my first training session, I was just throwing it everywhere. Melissa then looked at me, before smiling and saying she was glad I’d got that out of the way!!

“We’re getting that chemistry at Stars, it’s on its way and when I do hit the court, I feel like you’re going to see some netball you haven’t seen for a while. It’s exciting.”

The Vitality Netball Superleague continues tonight. Watch Severn Stars’ hosting Celtic Dragons live on Sky Sports Main Event, Arena and Mix from 5pm.