After an elite netball career that’s spanned 25 years, six World Cups, six Commonwealth Games and countless accolades and titles, Geva Mentor has announced her retirement from domestic competition, having already signed off from international duties in 2023. At her peak, Mentor was a bright, blazing presence out on court at goal keeper, while in her latter years, she’s also become an ambassador and spokesperson to help promote her sport.
Staying present in the moment has been one of the secrets behind Mentor’s phenomenal longevity. “I’ve really enjoyed the new challenges I’ve come across, whether it’s been relocating, building new combinations on court, building a new club from scratch like Sunshine Coast Lightning, or coming into a massive and established club like Collingwood and trying to find a path for women’s sport there.”
The other driving force has been the people she’s met along the way. She reflected, “Whether they are teammates, coaches or staff – they get you up each day, bring you in and make you want to be a better version of yourself and see what you can strive to achieve.
“Netball has really evolved. It’s not just a sport that you socialise and take part in, but one that can now be an occupation with a lot at stake. But the flip side of that is those people you connect with, so you are more invested and never take what you do for granted.”
Geva Mentor challenges Caitlin Bassett for the ball at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Image Simon Leonard
As with all her big career decisions, Mentor turned to her mum Yvonne for advice about retirement. “She’s always been my sounding board, my confidante, and my level header in nutting things out. From those conversations I’ll make a decision and sleep on it for a bit. And then if it feels right in my gut, right in my heart, usually my head is where it needs to be.
“From an early age she’s taught me that things have to feel right on all those levels.”
Mentor also feels fortunate that she’s been able to choose the timing of her retirement – a luxury that not every athlete has. The 2023 World Cup was her last international outing, while she’s spent the last couple of seasons playing for Leeds Rhinos in England after a 16 year stint in Australia.
“It’s been nice to slow things down from Suncorp Super Netball, to look after my body a bit more and not go through the strenuous intensity of that day to day training. But at the same time to help pick things up in the Netball Super League, and to foster and develop other aspects of my life.”
Geva Mentor in action for Colllingwood. Image: Kirsten Daley
Married earlier this year, Mentor now lives in France with her husband Florian, and flies in and out of the UK for her netball commitments. “It takes eight hours to get door to door which is exhausting, but Rhinos have been very supportive.
“Preseason was full on, but during the season we’ve come up with a schedule when I’m there for training and a game, or a game and then training, so I’m not completing a full week. That leads into where I am physically, mentally and socially, and it’s harder to leave home all the time.
“That’s how I knew it was the right time (to retire). My head’s not in it as much. I love being around the team, but my competitive streak on game day is tapering off, so that’s my call to bow out and move into the next chapter of life.”
For Mentor, that means embracing her new home in France – getting a better handle on the language, finding a social handball team that she and her husband can join, and enjoying the food. She’ll still remain active – with tennis, the gym, hiking and camping all passions, but finding work is perhaps her biggest challenge.
Currently in the voluntary role of Performance Director for France which she hopes will help develop the sport in Europe, Mentor says that finding a new source of income is a bit ‘scary’. “I’ve spoken to a few women my age and they’ve mentioned going through a wobbly period where they’ve had a complete career change. So I don’t know what that’s going to be, but I will throw myself out there and try different things. We will have to see what comes across my table.”
Surprising, when asked about the biggest change she’s seen in netball, Mentor doesn’t mention the sport’s more professional nature, or the increased speed and strength of athletes. Instead, it again comes back to the people. She believes that women in sport are finding their voices.
“We are able to get behind more passion projects, such as Pride Round and inclusion. Things that are really special and dear to each athlete, letting them celebrate their differences and also educate those around them.
“That’s really important for our growth as athletes and for our sport, because we can get tunnel vision and caught up in our own little bubbles. To be able to share our thoughts with the wider community, and hopefully inspire and empower others to find their voices and speak up.
“We’ve seen more of that over the years, and it’s terrific that Australian and New Zealand leagues have the perimeter that allow that expression. We need to adopt a little more of that in the UK – it’s not about reinventing the wheel, just seeing how successful it’s been overseas and also in other sporting codes.”
One of the causes Mentor has championed is supporting female athlete fertility. The full article can be read here. Image courtesy of Geva Mentor.
Over her time, Mentor hasn’t always taken the easy road, but has stood up for what she believes in. Just a few of the causes she has championed have included player wellbeing, netball’s inclusion at the Commonwealth Games, education around fertility and umpiring standards.
She’s also the first to admit she doesn’t always get it right. “Because I’ve been involved with so much as an athlete, I’ve seen it from the inside out, whereas there are a lot of decision makers approaching our sport from the outside looking in.
“But it’s important to understand that everyone’s opinions should be valued. As I’ve grown through sport I’ve gained confidence to know that my voice can be valued as well. It’s not about challenging people for the sake of it, but about trying to improve our sport for the greater good of everybody. So because of the experiences I’ve had, I’ve been vocal in trying to share them.
“I’m not always articulate and sometimes the things I’ve said can be misconstrued, but at the end of the day I want what we all want. For our sport to be pushed forwards globally, to keep evolving and gaining publicity, sponsorship and more support.
“I look at other sports, and I want to make sure our beautiful sport that’s given me so much opportunity is still on track, and not just knocking at the door but barging through it.”
“As I’ve said to my teammates, if there’s any issues let me know because I don’t mind putting myself out there. If I get cut down I don’t mind, because as long as positive change happens I’m happy to do it. There’s always going to be issues along the way, but let’s be transparent about them.”
Emotions spill over as England take the gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Image Marcela Massey
Mentor’s career in England’s red dress speaks for itself. After making the English squad at 15, she debuted a year later against the legendary Irene van Dyk. Among success at a host of smaller tournaments, she’s medalled at seven pinnacle events, including an historic gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and silver at the 2023 Netball World Cup.
Domestically, she received her Australian start at the Adelaide Thunderbirds, and was also an integral part of the Victorian based Vixens and Magpies. But one of her fondest memories lies with the start up club, Sunshine Coast Lightning, which she captained. Mentor said, “I can’t go past that time. The connections we had with people on the Coast, what we were able to achieve, people in America would write movies about it.”
In their first year of inception, Lightning won the Suncorp Super Netball title, then backed it up in 2018 despite a 0-3 start to the season. “I remember on day one as we were walking through, there were no logos, no signs on the offices, even our dresses had no logos or branding. We went to media day, and all the other clubs had beautiful sponsors on their dresses and ours were just plain.
“So being able to help kickstart the club’s journey, and watch it evolve as different players and staff came on board has been pretty special.”
Mentor gets some air over Maria Tutaia’s shot. Image Simon Leonard
Mentor believes that she grew up in Australia, having spent 16 years playing there during her twenties and thirties. And while she had many highs, including four premierships and a host of MVP awards, some of her toughest times were also experienced down under.
There was the time when she, along with fellow English star Sonia Mkoloma, were temporarily banned from national duties, because they wanted to develop their careers in Australia rather than playing in a less challenging league back at home. Their actions paved the way for other countrywomen to follow suit, and helped the Roses become a powerhouse on the world’s stage.
Or her third year at the Thunderbirds when they signed a second import, the league’s rules changed to allow just one, and the club wanted her to play in a lesser tier competition while they tried to work through the legalities. While Mentor was eventually released from her contract to join the Vixens she said, “It did make me realise that not everyone is out there to support your journey. Sport is business, and I had to understand that decisions will be made on that basis and not necessarily supportive of you as a person or athlete.”
There were also a couple of bad injuries during her Magpies era, that hampered Mentor’s performance in successive seasons. The first was a badly sprained ankle, the second a debilitating back injury. “I couldn’t move for about four weeks, lost all power in one leg, and I had to try and play that season and gradually develop my form again. It was a huge challenge dealing with severe pain but I overcame it.
“That’s sport, there are highs and lows, losses and injuries, but you do come out the other side better for it.
Among her awards, Mentor has been selected to read the Athletes Oath at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, received a CBE for services to netball, and a couple of honorary Doctorates. And while these have been special, Mentor takes the most pleasure from connecting with people and encouraging them to enjoy and support the code – from those fans who shyly seek her advice or ask for a selfie, to the lifelong friends she’s made along the way.
“I’m so grateful and thankful for our sport, and it’s heart warming to know that I’ve impacted people along the way.”
England’s Geva Mentor read the oath on behalf of all Commonwealth Games athletes. Image: courtesy of Birmingham 2022
Geva Mentor at the 2019 Netball World Championships. A highly respected advocate for women’s sport. Image: Danny Dalton
