Josie Cleaver – In her happy place

Ian Snook

There is nothing more certain than Josie Cleaver is in her ‘happy place’ at New Plymouth Girls’ High School (NPGHS) and in particular coaching the netball girls.

She still speaks with the same passion that she would have brought to the netball programme in 1977 when she coached a Year 9 team, a team which she has returned to in 2022. There has been 45 years of hard work, successes and great memories in that time.

In amongst these fulfilling times was a standout period of ten seasons starting in 1998 when the NPGHS ‘A’ team qualified nine times for the New Zealand Secondary Schools championship, which was for the top 12 schools in the country. Here they were regularly in the top six sides with a best of 3rd in 2003 and 4th in 1998, and were, along with Auckland Grammar, the most consistently successful school in New Zealand for a decade. However, these successes are just a portion of the total journey.

Number four of six daughters to a school teaching mum and a sporty dad who played rep cricket for Whanganui and senior rugby, Josie was clearly ‘Dad’s pet’, as she was the daughter who excelled on the sports field.

A student at Sacred Heart in Whanganui there were three years in the school ‘A’ netball team which played in the local premier grade, from which she was rewarded with the ultimate accolade in year 13 (7th form) being selected to represent Whanganui in the National Tournament against the likes of Wellington and Auckland in the top grade. Here was a girl with an abundance of talent and game understanding playing in the first grade at the NZ Nationals. This was the stuff that dreams were made of.

There were also the first signs that Josie had all the attributes to be a great coach, preparing her first team as a 15-year-old, whilst demonstrating an ability to relate to the players and provide clarity of thought and understanding. As would eventuate, there was to be plenty of coaching in front of her.

At school she competed in netball, basketball, swimming, and tennis, and represented Whanganui in all the age group netball teams. However, in the following three years at Auckland Teachers College, and without a car, there was little sport played. The holidays would be taken up with travel, a lot of it hitch-hiking in the South Island and Australia.

Having successfully completed her study Josie took up a position at NPGHS, where she has been ever since. These days she is the Director of Sport alongside her role in the physical education department. There has been time off to have three babies and early on there was a year spent in London and travelling in Europe, but mostly it has been driving in the gate each morning off Mangorei Road.

The late 70’s, 80’s and early 90’s were taken up with playing as well as coaching. Initially a player in the top Hertz side, now under the banner of New Plymouth Old Boys, there was a nomination as Taranaki Sports Person of the Year in 1980, and intermittent seasons with the Taranaki rep side, beginning in 1977, with a couple as the captain. There was also selection in a NZ ‘B’ side in 1981 from which she had to withdraw with son Matt not far from being born. Josie’s dad was not happy with husband Jeff at the time.

Hertz gained a couple of second placings and third placings in the Premier 1 competition, with Lisa Wilson, a Silver Fern, part of the side. During the same period Josie spent four seasons as the secretary of New Plymouth Netball, was a Level 1 Coach Examiner and spent three seasons coaching at the NZ Young Players Camp.

Throw in a year as a co-selector for Taranaki and spending nine seasons between 1978 and 1996 coaching the NPGHS ‘A’ team, with five of those seasons coaching multiple sides at school, and you have a very busy person. There was even time to turnout for the NPOB Classics in 1991 alongside the likes of Cherie Blyde, Lynne Rolfe, Sylvia Penny, Erin Gupwell, Michelle Sandle, Delwyn Broadmore, Glynda George, Sonia Miles, Karen Wall, and Julie Wesley, winning the Taranaki 1st grade championship.

For NPGHS there were signs of things to come when in 1993 the girls were placed 2nd in the Taranaki Premier 2 competition, but it was 1997 when things really kicked into gear. That season the team won the local 1st Grade competition and came first in the NZ Colleges Tournament, which was for teams below the top group of eight.

Whilst at that tournament Josie can remember looking at the top league games with her squad and they were all thinking, ‘Wow. We could beat those teams’. In 1998 the dreams became a reality with a 4th placing in the NZ Secondary Schools Championship. This group included Toni Street, Erin McGlashan, Hayley Goodin, Leisha Ingram, Amy Worthington, Joanne Staddon, Casey O,Byrne, Imogen Kerr, Anna Morrison, Pip Fleming, Idelle Heistand and future Silver Fern Daneka Wipiiti. The semi-final was a very narrow loss to Auckland Grammar, who went on to win the tournament.

From that season onwards until 2008 the team qualified every year apart from one, with a highest placing of 3rd in 2003. That same year they were 1st in the Lower North Island qualifying tournament, 3rd in Premier 1 in the Taranaki competition, 1st in the Taranaki Secondary Schools League, 1st in the TSS Tournament and they won the tournament at Western Heights in Auckland.

Josie was very fortunate to have the help of two wonderful assistants during this period – Carolyn Matuku (assistant coach) and Wendy Stewart (manager). Wendy was on board for the whole decade, acting as a very valuable assistant coach when Carolyn left to start her family.

Summarising the decade from 1998 to 2007 the results were hugely impressive: # NZ Secondary Schools Championship (Top 12 schools in NZ): 4th, 7th, 10th,6th, 5th, 3rd, 6th, 7th, 7th. # Qualification Tournaments (Lower NI Schools): 1st, 4th, 2nd, 2nd, 1st, 1st, 6th, 3rd, 2nd. # Taranaki Club Competition: 2nd Prem 2/ 1st Prem 2/ 4th Prem 1/ 4th Prem 1/ 3rd Prem 1/ 6th Prem 1/ 5th Prem 1/ 5th Prem 1. # Taranaki Secondary Schools League: 1x 2nd and 9x 1st placings. # Taranaki Secondary Schools Tournament: 7x 1st placings # Western Heights Tournament: 8x 1st placings

During this same period, the very energetic Josie coached the Taranaki Under 15’s in 2000, the Under 17’s in 2001 and spent five seasons as the Head Coach of the Taranaki provincial side playing in Division 2 at the Nationals.

Taranaki netball recognized her efforts and nominated her for Taranaki Coach of the Year in 2003.

Rewards did pop up though. In 2007 she received the regional Watties Award as Volunteer Coach of the Year from Sport Taranaki (with a years supply of baked beans and spaghetti thrown in!), and a Netball Taranaki Service Award. She was at the peak of her powers and loving every minute of it.

2007 also saw Josie return to NPOB, coaching the premier 1 side with immediate success winning the Taranaki competition that season and again in 2009, being 2nd in 2010 and 3rd in 2008.

She also fitted in the Taranaki Under 19’s for two seasons who were placed 7th and 4th at the Nationals, outstanding achievements for certain; was the assistant coach for the Western team who were placed 3rd in the Lois Muir Challenge; and Head Coach for Western U21 side a team selected from the best of Taranaki, Manawatu, Hawkes Bay and Whanganui.

In 2012 Josie took up the role as the assistant coach of NPGHS ‘A’ under the leadership of Leigh Laurence, which would continue for eight seasons, in which time the team would return to the NZSS Championships on two occasions, with a 6th placing and a 12th, as well as competing in the premier 1 Taranaki competition each season. The team included Kelly Jury from 2009-2013 with Kelly going on to represent the Silver Ferns and is a current player as the highest level.

There was another year at the helm of the ‘A’ team in 2021 before becoming the assistant coach to daughter Sophie, with the Year 9 ‘A’ team in 2022, where she continues imparting years of knowledge to a very eager group who won every competition they played in. No doubt Sophie is a ‘chip off the old block’.

If there needs to be any confirmation that the netball programme at NPGHS is thriving, then how about helping to sort out 90 girls who trialled for teams this past winter. Josie puts a lot of this down to having good Principals who recognize the worth of sport for both its physical and mental benefits, and says she has always felt valued at the school. However, there can be no doubt about the influence she has had in creating this positive culture.

Life has been a full and satisfying one. There have been three children, teaching, netball and supporting husband Jeff on his coaching journey. There have been multiple personal and team successes, but her fondest memories are about the friends and connections she has formed, and with a big smile she adds that she is invited to lots of weddings! That is possibly the true reflection of the inspirational and friendly culture that has been developed over a long period of time, led by one of the best.

Over a 45-year period there have been 42 in which there has been either playing or coaching, with over half of these including multiple playing and coaching or coaching more than one team. The energy is still most apparent and there appears that there is no stopping in the near future. Certainly, this journey is not completed.

This is one remarkable and successful person which was recognized in 2019 by School Sport NZ when they presented her with the ‘Service to School Sport Awards’.

The wording on the reward read: ‘Over more than 40 years you have made a fantastic contribution to school sport at New Plymouth Girls’ High School, particularly in netball but also across the administration of all sports. Your contribution to school sport beyond NPGHS, and especially in the LNISS (Lower North Island Secondary Schools) tournament administration was also praised by the board. Your work as a coach and administrator has enabled hundreds of young people to enjoy the benefits of school sport and for this the board would like to thank you by offering you a School Sport NZ Service to School Sport Award.

And that is only part of the story. Thanks Josie and well done.