Northern Star gains degree

ANZ Premiership netballer Fa'amu Ioane has had a year of highs and lows. The rising talent was side-lined midway through her season with the Northern Stars after a knee injury.

However last week she proudly graduated with Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Geography and Anthropology from the University of Auckland.

Gaining her degree was extra special for Fa'amu who has balanced study with premiership-level netball since her second year of University, debuting with the Mystics before switching to the Northern Stars.

"Playing at this level requires a lot of commitment and time so it was a struggle. There were many late nights and last minute assignments and I would just be so tired after training and travelling for netball," Fa’amu says.

Thankfully, Fa'amu was supported by the University's High Performance Support Programme, and a Prime Minister's Scholarship, both of which assist emerging athletes to pursue tertiary study and elite-level sport at the same time.