Ama Agbeze

Summary

Ama Agbeze MBE (born 12 November 1982) is an England netball international. She was captain when England won the gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. In 2019 she received an MBE for her services to netball. She was also a member of the England team that won the bronze medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. As of 2020, Agbeze has played for at least sixteen different club teams in England, Australia and New Zealand.

Ama Agbeze
MBE
Personal information
Born (1982-11-12) 12 November 1982 (age 41)
Selly Oak, England
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
School Kings Norton Girls' School
Monkton Combe School
University Loughborough University
University of Leicester
Netball career
Playing position(s): GD, GK, WD
Years Club team(s) Apps
2001–2002 Team Bath
2003 Birmingham Blaze
2004 Northumbria Flames
2004–2007 Loughborough Lightning
2005London Hurricanes
2008 West Coast Fever
2008–2009 Leeds Carnegie
2009 Melbourne Vixens
2010 Central Pulse
2011 West Coast Fever
2012–2013 West Coast Falcons
2013 Territory Storm
2014–2015 Central Pulse
2016 Loughborough Lightning
2017 Adelaide Thunderbirds
2018 Northern Stars
2019 London Pulse
2019 Saracens Mavericks
2020 Severn Stars
2021 Northern Mystics
Years National team(s) Caps
2001– England 100
Medal record
Representing  England
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2018 Gold Coast Team
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Melbourne Team
Fast5 Netball World Series
Gold medal – first place 2017 Melbourne Team
Last updated: 31 March 2020

Early life, family and education edit

Agbeze was born to Nigerian parents in Birmingham. She has two older sisters and a younger brother. She was educated at Kings Norton Girls' School and Monkton Combe School.[2][3][4] Between 2004 and 2007 she attended Loughborough University where she gained an MSc in Finance and Management.[5][6][7][8][9] She also studied Law and Criminal Justice at the University of Leicester and is a qualified lawyer.[10][2] In 2016 she married Fred Donovan, a New Zealander, in Auckland.[2][11]

Playing career edit

Super Cup edit

During the Super Cup era, between 2001 and 2005, Agbeze played for Team Bath, Birmingham Blaze, Northumbria Flames and London Hurricanes.[12][13][14][15][16]

Netball Superleague edit

Between 2005 and 2007, while attending Loughborough University, Agbeze played for Loughborough Lightning in the Netball Superleague.[6][7][9] She would return to Lightning for a second spell in 2016.[5][17] She also played for Leeds Carnegie during the 2008–09 season.[18]

Agbeze spent the 2019 Netball Superleague season at London Pulse,[19][20][21] then joined up with Saracens Mavericks for the 2019 British Fast5 Netball All-Stars Championship[22][23] before joining Severn Stars for the 2020 season.[24][25]

Australia and New Zealand edit

Agbeze played for three franchises in the ANZ Championship. In 2008 she was one of several England internationals to join the new league. Together with Karen Atkinson, she signed for West Coast Fever.[26][27] She subsequently moved to the Melbourne Vixens for the 2009 season and then to Central Pulse for the 2010 season. In 2011 she returned to West Coast Fever.[28] During 2012 Agbeze served as a player-coach for West Coast Falcons, helping them win the West Australian Netball League. She was also awarded the Jill McIntosh Medal.[29][30] In 2013 she played for Territory Storm in the Australian Netball League,[31][32] then rejoined Central Pulse for the 2014 and 2015 ANZ Championship seasons.[28][33][34] She subsequently played for Adelaide Thunderbirds during the 2017 Suncorp Super Netball season[1][2][35] and for Northern Stars during the 2018 ANZ Premiership season.[36] She played for Northern Mystics during the 2021 ANZ Premiership season.[37][38]

England edit

Agbeze made her senior debut for England in 2001. She was a member of the England team that won the bronze medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.[1][39] In 2016 she was appointed England captain[17][40] She subsequently captained England as they won the 2016 European Netball Championship,[41] the 2017 Fast5 Netball World Series[42] and the gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.[21][39][43][44] In October 2018, Agbeze made 100th senior appearance for England during a series against Jamaica.[45] In 2019 she received an MBE for her services to netball.[6][46][47]

Tournaments Place
2006 Commonwealth Games[1]  
2007 World Netball Championships[48] 4th
2011 Taini Jamison Trophy Series[49] 2nd
2014 Commonwealth Games[34] 4th
2014 Taini Jamison Trophy Series[50] 2nd
2016 European Netball Championship[40][41][51]  
2016 Netball Quad Series[52][53] 3rd
2016 Fast5 Netball World Series[54] 4th
2017 Netball Quad Series (January/February)[55] 3rd
2017 Netball Quad Series (August/September)[56][57] 3rd
2017 Taini Jamison Trophy Series[58] 2nd
2017 Fast5 Netball World Series[42]  
2018 Netball Quad Series (January)[59][60] 2nd
2018 Commonwealth Games[7][10][43][61]  
2018 Netball Quad Series (September)[62] 2nd

Source:[1]

Honours edit

England
Melbourne Vixens
Northern Mystics

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e "Ama Agbeze MBE". teamengland.org. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d "New Adelaide Thunderbird's player Agbeze here to have fun and play hard". www.adelaidenow.com.au. 16 December 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Ama's 50th is a special occasion". monktoncombeschool.com. 24 January 2013. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
  4. ^ "The stars are out as city's "social" aims to show off all Brum has to offer". Birmingham Mail. 27 July 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Ama Agbeze signs for Loughborough Lightning". 4theloveofsport.co.uk. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  6. ^ a b c "SBE alumna appointed an MBE in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours list". www.lboro.ac.uk. 25 June 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  7. ^ a b c "Nine Loughborough netballers selected for Commonwealth Games". www.lboro.ac.uk. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  8. ^ "Loughborough duo inducted into the England Netball Hall of Fame". www.lboro.ac.uk. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  9. ^ a b "Performance netball". www.lboro.ac.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  10. ^ a b "Ama Agbeze". gc2018.com. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Should sports do more to help female athletes feel 'more comfortable' having children during career?". www.bbc.co.uk. 26 May 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  12. ^ "Blaze overcome Team Bath Force". www.sportfocus.com. 10 May 2003. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  13. ^ "Ama Agbeze". www.teambath.com. 18 November 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  14. ^ "Blazes burn out by Flames in final group match". www.sportfocus.com. 24 May 2003. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  15. ^ "Flam-ing marvellous!". www.chroniclelive.co.uk. 7 April 2004. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  16. ^ "Featured player – Ama Agbeze". www.netballsl.com. 29 January 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  17. ^ a b "Loughborough Lightning's Ama Agbeze to captain England". www.skysports.com. 19 April 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  18. ^ "Carnegie crumble under Loughborough Lightning pressure". www.womensportreport.com. 23 November 2008. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  19. ^ "England captain Ama Agbeze headlines London Pulse squad for the 2019 Superleague season". www.skysports.com. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  20. ^ "Ama Agbeze and Natalie Seaton reflect on London Pulse's debut season so far". www.skysports.com. 14 March 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  21. ^ a b "'I did think I had time': England netball captain Agbeze upset by World Cup axe". www.theguardian.com. 20 May 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  22. ^ "Agbeze and Fowler flying in for Fast5s". www.saracens.com. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  23. ^ "Ama Agbeze and Jhaniele Fowler join Mavericks for Fast5 All-Star competition". www.skysports.com. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  24. ^ "Ama Agbeze joins Severn Stars for 2020 Vitality Netball Superleague season". www.skysports.com. 8 November 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  25. ^ "Ama Agbeze opens up on Severn Stars move after a tough 12 months". www.skysports.com. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  26. ^ "England netballers join world's first professional league". www.express.co.uk. 5 February 2008. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  27. ^ "Overseas players join new netball league". www.brisbanetimes.com.au. 5 February 2008. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  28. ^ a b "Ama Agbeze re-signs with the Central Pulse". www.stuff.co.nz. 23 July 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  29. ^ "Focus on Falcons". sportstg.com. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  30. ^ "Jill McIntosh Medal Winners". wa.netball.com.au. 22 October 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  31. ^ "Boom recruit primed" (PDF). www.territorystories.nt.gov.au. 12 July 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 June 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  32. ^ "2013 Territory Storm". nt.netball.com.au. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  33. ^ "Netball New Zealand – Ninetieth Annual Report 2014" (PDF). www.silverferns.co.nz. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 February 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  34. ^ a b "Glasgow 2014: Jade Clarke to lead England netball squad". www.bbc.co.uk. 1 July 2008. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  35. ^ "The Suncorp Super Netball League". International Netball Federation. 14 February 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  36. ^ "Agbeze joins Stars in 2018". anzpremiership.co.nz. 28 August 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  37. ^ "Gold medallist joins Mystics defence". anzpremiership.co.nz. 18 March 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  38. ^ "Former England Roses captain rekindles career in NZ". www.rnz.co.nz. 22 March 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  39. ^ a b "England captain Ama Agbeze dropped from Netball World Cup squad by head coach Tracey Neville". www.skysports.com. 22 May 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  40. ^ a b "Ama Agbeze is relishing the challenge of captaining England in Netball Europe". www.skysports.com. 21 April 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  41. ^ a b "Roses take Netball Europe title!". www.englandnetball.co.uk. 16 May 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  42. ^ a b "Fast5 Netball World Series: England beat Jamaica to win title". www.bbc.co.uk. 29 October 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  43. ^ a b "Commonwealth Games: England shock Australia to win netball gold". www.bbc.com. 15 April 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  44. ^ "Ama Agbeze: England captain 'frustrated' but 'at peace' with World Cup omission". www.bbc.co.uk. 20 May 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  45. ^ "Jamaica wrap up 3-0 whitewash against England Roses". www.skysports.com. 16 October 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  46. ^ "England netball captain Ama Agbeze appointed MBE". www.bbc.co.uk. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  47. ^ "Ama Agbeze appointed MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours". www.englandnetball.co.uk. 8 June 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  48. ^ "Women Netball XII World Championship 2007". www.todor66.com. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  49. ^ "Newcomers make their mark in Silver Ferns win". netballnz.co.nz. 3 October 2011. Archived from the original on 2 May 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  50. ^ "Ferns have one aim in mind - shooting goals". stuff.co.nz. 31 October 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  51. ^ "Netball Europe: England Roses name squad for Newcastle". www.bbc.co.uk. 19 April 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  52. ^ "England Netball name 15-player Quad Series squad without Sara Bayman". www.skysports.com. 24 August 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  53. ^ "England overpowered by clinical Australia". 4theloveofsport.co.uk. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  54. ^ "England Fives squad announced for 2016 Fast5 tournament". www.englandnetball.co.uk. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  55. ^ "Diamonds seal Quad Series with 47-46 win over England". 4theloveofsport.co.uk. 9 February 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  56. ^ "Blue and Gold stars past and present play key roles in another Quad Series cracker". www.teambath.com. 3 September 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  57. ^ "Roses beaten by South Africa in final Quad Series match". 4theloveofsport.co.uk. 3 September 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  58. ^ "England netball captain praised for aftermatch speech". www.nzherald.co.nz. 13 September 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  59. ^ "Netball Quad Series: England's Ama Agbeze to captain 14-strong squad". www.bbc.co.uk. 23 December 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  60. ^ "England squad selected ahead of Netball Quad Series". 4theloveofsport.co.uk. 23 December 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  61. ^ "Women Netball Commonwealth Games Golden Goast, Australia 2018". www.todor66.com. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  62. ^ "Incredible comeback secures final Quad Series win for the Roses". www.englandnetball.co.uk. 23 September 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2020.

External links edit