Changing Colours

The story of a remarkable sportswoman who has captured the hearts of international netball fans and exasperated her opponents for the past eight years. Irene van Dyk first rose to prominence in 1995 at the Netball World Championships in Birmingham, England. Representing South Africa, she played a major role in the tournament's most astounding result - the ignominious defeat of the Silver Ferns, at that stage hot favourites for a showdown with their long-time Australian rivals, the defending world champions. The tall, stunning blonde wowed the crowd and netball media alike. With her bubbly personality and deadly accurate goal shooting, she quickly became one of the game's hottest properties. Some years later she decided to leave South Africa to further her international career in New Zealand. It was to prove a controversial decision, with bitterness and acrimony surrounding her initial selection as a Silver Fern. In this revealing new biography, Irene talks frankly about the issues, controversies, challenges and rewards of her decision to change colours.