Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960, international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball (later renamed the International Federation of Netball Associations (IFNA)) was formed. As of 2011, IFNA comprises more than 60 national teams organized into five global regions.

Games are played on a rectangular court with raised goal rings at each end. Each team attempts to score goals by passing a ball down the court and shooting it through its goal ring. Players are assigned specific positions, which define their roles within the team and restrict their movement to certain areas of the court. During general play, a player with the ball can hold onto it for only three seconds before shooting for a goal or passing to another player. The winning team is the one that scores the most goals. Netball games are 60 minutes long. Variations have been developed to increase the game's pace and appeal to a wider audience.

Solonaima Maria Tuta'ia (born 18 February 1987 in Tokoroa, New Zealand) is a New Zealand international netball player. She can play at goal attack and goal shooter, and stands at 1.88 m.

Tutaia played domestic netball for the Auckland Diamonds during the National Bank Cup from 2005–07. With the start of the ANZ Championship in 2008, she signed with the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic, partnering Irene van Dyk in the shooting circle. Tutaia played with the Magic for two years, before transferring back to Auckland to play with the Northern Mystics, starting in 2010.

Tutaia was part of the winning NZ Under-21 team that brought home the 2005 World Youth Cup from Miami. That year, Tutaia was called into the Silver Ferns team, making her on-court debut when the Ferns toured Jamaica. During her senior international career, she has won gold medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, 2006 Commonwealth Games and the 2009 World Netball Series, in addition to a silver medal at the 2007 Netball World Championships.

Laura Langman (born 16 April 1986 in Hamilton, New Zealand) is a New Zealand international netball player. Primarily a midcourt player, Langman is the captain of the New Zealand national netball team – the Silver Ferns, and also captains the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in the ANZ Championship.

While still a student at Hillcrest High School in Hamilton, Langman was selected for the New Zealand U21 team. In 2003 she made her elite netball debut with the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in the National Bank Cup, and later that year was selected for the Silver Ferns.

Langman made her international test debut in 2005 against England. That year she captained the New Zealand U21 side to win gold at the World Youth Netball Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In the National Bank Cup, Langman won two premierships with the Magic in 2005 and 2006. She was also selected for the Silver Ferns team that won a gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

The following year she made the Silver Ferns team to contest the 2007 Netball World Championships in Auckland, but almost had to withdraw with a foot injury. Langman recovered in time for the Championships, in which the Silver Ferns came in second behind Australia.