.jpg) Aitken in 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ruth Ellina Aitken (Née: Fathers) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1956-07-31)31 July 1956 (age 69) Paeroa, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Netball career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dame Ruth Ellina AitkenDNZM (néeFathers; born 31 July 1956) is a New Zealand former international-levelnetball player and former head coach of the New Zealand national netball team, theSilver Ferns.
Aitken was born in 1956 inPaeroa.[1][2] Her parents were Phil and Dorothy Fathers, who moved from Auckland to Paeroa after Aitken had children; that way she could continue with the travel required for her netball coaching career.[3]
A former goal-attack, Aitken represented New Zealand in the1979 World Netball Championships in Trinidad and Tobago, playing two warm-up games and then in one match againstIreland.[4]
Aitken became coach of the Silver Ferns in 2001, replacingYvonne Willering.[4] During Aitken's tenure as national head coach, the Silver Ferns won the2003 World Netball Championships and the2006 and2010 Commonwealth Games, but came second toAustralia at both the2002 Commonwealth Games and the2007 World Netball Championships. In February 2008, Aitken was re-signed as national head coach for a further four years.[5] In late 2011, she retired as coach of the national team – and was later replaced by assistantWaimarama Taumaunu. In December 2012, it was announced that Aitken would take over as Technical Director and National Coach ofNetball Singapore.[6] She is a member of theSports Tribunal of New Zealand.[7]
At the 2003Halberg Awards, Aitken was awarded Coach of the Year.[3] In the2011 Queen's Birthday Honours, Aitken was appointed anOfficer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to netball, alongside Silver Ferns captainCasey Williams.[8] In the2022 Queen's Birthday and Platinum Jubilee Honours, she was promoted toDame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to netball.[9]
In 2024, Aitken was an inaugural inductee to theNetball New Zealand Hall of Fame.[10]
