Laura Langman: The Netball Leader Who Kept Raising Standards

Introduction

Laura Langman spent years doing the hard work.

She ran. She defended. She attacked. And she rarely stopped.

Born in Hamilton, New Zealand, Langman became one of the country’s best-known netball players. Her career stretched across several competitions, four Netball World Cups and three Commonwealth Games.

The biggest moment came in 2019.

As Silver Ferns captain, she helped New Zealand beat Australia 52–51 in the Netball World Cup final.

It was the title she wanted.

And she got it.

Quick Facts

Fact	Detail
Full Name	Laura Robyn Langman
Date of Birth	16 April 1986
Age	40 years old, as of September 2026
Birthplace	Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand
Nationality	New Zealand
Height	173 cm
Sport	Netball
Main Positions	Centre, Wing Defence, Wing Attack
Silver Fern Number	133
International Debut	12 March 2005
International Debut Opponent	England
Major World Title	2019 Netball World Cup
Commonwealth Games Gold	2006 and 2010
Husband	Adrian Pooley
Education	University of Waikato
Qualification	Bachelor of Business Analysis
Major Honour	Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit
International Retirement	2020

Early Life in Waikato

Laura Langman was born on 16 April 1986 in Hamilton.

She grew up around Te Pahu, near Mount Pirongia, on her family’s dairy farm.

Farm life was normal.

Her parents, Greg and Christine Langman, raised Laura alongside her siblings Jessica and John. The children helped with everyday farm jobs.

That meant real physical work.

Milking cows, feeding calves and moving hay were part of family life.

Langman was active early.

She attended Te Pahu Primary School and later Hillcrest High School in Hamilton. Sport soon became a big part of her school years.

Netball was one of them.

So was running.

Her mother later recalled Laura training on the hills around their farm for cross-country events. That fitness base followed her into professional sport.

Education at the University of Waikato

Netball was growing quickly for Langman, but she kept studying.

She attended the University of Waikato and completed a Bachelor of Business Analysis.

Her degree was formally conferred in 2011.

She also continued studying accounting.

Away from netball, Langman worked in the accounting field and later spent time with Deloitte in Hamilton.

Basically, she had two demanding paths running together.

Study and elite sport.

That takes discipline.

The University of Waikato also recognised her sporting record several times. She received Sporting Blues and was named Sportswoman of the Year in 2006, 2011 and 2012.

In 2025, the university honoured her for ten years of service to netball through its Blazer Honours programme.

Laura Langman’s Netball Career Begins

Things moved fast.

Langman was still young when she entered top-level netball.

She joined Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in 2003 while still in her teenage years. By 2004, she had entered the wider Silver Ferns setup.

Then came her Test debut.

On 12 March 2005, she played her first senior international for New Zealand against England.

That same year brought another major result.

Langman captained New Zealand at the World Youth Netball Championship and helped the under-21 side win the title.

She had arrived.

Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic Years

Langman’s early domestic career was strongly tied to Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic.

She played through the National Bank Cup period and later the ANZ Championship.

Magic won National Bank Cup titles in 2005 and 2006.

Yet one of Langman’s biggest club moments came later.

In 2012, she captained Magic against Melbourne Vixens in the ANZ Championship Grand Final.

Magic won 41–38.

The match was played in Melbourne.

That mattered.

It made Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic the first New Zealand team to win the ANZ Championship.

Langman’s own season was excellent. She shared the competition’s Most Valuable Player award in 2012.

Her contribution to the franchise was later recognised with the creation of the Laura Langman Medal.

Move to Northern Mystics

After her long spell with Magic, Langman moved to Northern Mystics.

She remained one of New Zealand’s leading midfield players.

Her work rate stood out.

So did her ability to move between centre, wing defence and wing attack.

The 2015 season brought major personal recognition.

At the New Zealand Netball Awards, Langman received the Dame Lois Muir Supreme Award, Silver Ferns Player of the Year and New Zealand ANZ Championship Player of the Year.

It was a huge year.

NSW Swifts Career

Langman made another big move in 2016.

She joined the NSW Swifts in Australia.

By then, she already had years of international experience and more than 100 ANZ Championship appearances.

She became vice-captain.

The Swifts reached the ANZ Championship Grand Final during her season with the club, and Langman’s own performances earned her the 2016 NSW Swifts Most Valued Player award.

Her move also marked an unusual step for an active New Zealand international.

Few Silver Ferns at the time had crossed into an Australian franchise while still part of the national setup.

Sunshine Coast Lightning

Next came Sunshine Coast Lightning.

Langman joined the new Australian club for the inaugural Suncorp Super Netball season in 2017.

The first year could hardly have gone better.

Lightning won the premiership.

For Langman, it added another major domestic title to her record.

There was a catch, though.

Playing outside New Zealand affected her eligibility for Silver Ferns selection under the rules operating at the time.

Her international run stopped.

Before that break, Langman had played an extraordinary 141 consecutive Tests for New Zealand.

Taking a Break

Langman stepped away from elite netball for part of 2018.

It gave her time outside the daily pressure of professional competition.

Then things changed again.

New Zealand had struggled at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and Langman was eventually granted an exemption that allowed her to return to the Silver Ferns while playing in Australia.

She came back.

And she became captain.

Leading the Silver Ferns

Langman’s Silver Ferns career started in 2005 and lasted until 2020, with a break during her Australian period.

She played across the entire midcourt.

Centre became strongly linked with her name, but she could also handle wing defence and wing attack.

Her style was simple to recognise.

Fast movement. Constant pressure. Huge fitness.

She kept going.

Langman appeared at the 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019 Netball World Cups.

The first three ended with silver medals for New Zealand.

2019 was different.

Very different.

2019 Netball World Cup Victory

The Silver Ferns arrived in Liverpool for the 2019 Netball World Cup with Langman as captain.

New Zealand worked through the tournament and reached the final against Australia.

The match was tight.

Really tight.

New Zealand won 52–51.

One goal separated them.

For Langman, the result ended years of World Cup frustration. She had already experienced three silver-medal campaigns.

This time she held the trophy.

The victory also became one of the defining moments of her Silver Ferns career.

Later that year, she received the Dame Lois Muir Supreme Award again.

It was her third win.

Commonwealth Games Success

Langman’s Commonwealth Games record was also strong.

She was part of the New Zealand side that won gold at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

The Silver Ferns beat Australia 60–55 in the final.

Four years later, New Zealand won again.

At Delhi 2010, the Silver Ferns defeated Australia 66–64 in another close final.

Langman later won silver at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Her medal record covered nearly a decade.

How Many Tests Did Laura Langman Play?

There is a small issue with the official numbers.

When Langman retired from international netball in 2020, Netball New Zealand reported that she had played 163 Tests.

Some later official historical records list 165 Tests.

So the safest way to state the record is this:

Langman retired in 2020 with 163 Tests according to Netball New Zealand’s retirement announcement, while the organisation’s later historical player database lists 165.

Either number leaves her among the most experienced Silver Ferns ever.

She also passed Irene van Dyk’s long-standing Silver Ferns appearance mark during her return to international competition.

Retirement From International Netball

Langman announced her international retirement in August 2020.

She believed the start of a new World Cup cycle was the right time for younger midfield players to gain international experience.

Covid-19 had also created uncertainty around international sport.

Her elite playing career ended later in 2020 after her final season with Sunshine Coast Lightning.

By then, she had played more than 200 national-league matches across New Zealand and Australia.

That is a long career.

A very busy one too.

Major Awards and Honours

Langman’s awards came from both team success and individual performance.

She shared the ANZ Championship MVP award in 2012.

She won Silver Ferns Player of the Year honours.

She was named NSW Swifts Most Valued Player in 2016.

She also won the Dame Lois Muir Supreme Award in 2015, 2016 and 2019.

Then came a national honour.

In the 2020 New Year Honours, Laura Robyn Langman was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, commonly written as ONZM, for services to netball.

Another major honour followed in 2024.

Langman became one of the first Athlete Members inducted into the Netball New Zealand Hall of Fame.

Life After Elite Netball

Retirement did not mean leaving the sport.

Langman moved into coaching and development work.

She became coach of the USC Spartans on Australia’s Sunshine Coast and started learning the sport from a different angle.

Playing is one job.

Coaching is another.

She later worked around the Silver Ferns environment again, helping with technical and strategy work ahead of the 2023 Netball World Cup.

Her knowledge of midcourt play made that role a natural fit.

Laura Langman in 2026

Langman remains involved with netball.

In 2026, she returned to competitive court action with Moreton Bay City Pulse in Queensland’s HART Premier Netball League Sapphire competition.

It was not a return to international netball.

Still, fans got to see her playing again.

Another role is already lined up.

Sunshine Coast Lightning announced that Langman will return to the club in a part-time mentoring role for the 2027 season.

Her work is expected to include support for the midcourt, leadership group and coaching staff.

So her connection with elite netball continues.

Laura Langman’s Husband

Laura Langman is married to Adrian Pooley.

The couple married in 2014 at the Langman family’s Te Pahu property.

Pooley has worked in sport and exercise science.

Older interviews have shown that the pair share an interest in outdoor activities.

Langman has spoken about surfing, snowboarding and other sports away from netball.

Reliable public sources do not give enough current information about other private family matters, so those details are best left out.

Interests Away From Netball

Langman has always kept a strong connection with outdoor life.

Growing up on a dairy farm clearly stayed with her.

She has spoken about surfing, wakeboarding, snowboarding, running and farm work.

As a child, she wanted to become a veterinarian.

That makes sense.

Animals were part of everyday life.

Even during her playing career, she sometimes returned to the family property and trained on the surrounding hills.

Her long socks also became a familiar part of her netball look.

They were less about superstition and more about habit.

Why Laura Langman’s Career Is Remembered

Laura Langman’s career crossed several eras of professional netball.

She played in the National Bank Cup.

Then came the ANZ Championship.

Later, she played in Suncorp Super Netball.

At international level, she spent more than a decade with the Silver Ferns and eventually captained them to a World Cup title.

Her fitness became famous.

Her consistency did too.

And she kept adapting.

That might be the clearest way to understand her career.

Final Thought

Laura Langman left elite netball with almost every major achievement a New Zealand player could chase.

World Cup champion.

Commonwealth Games champion.

Domestic champion in New Zealand and Australia.

She also became a national captain, award winner, Hall of Fame member and ONZM recipient.

Yet she has not disappeared from the sport.

As of 2026, Langman is still playing at a competitive level in Queensland and preparing for a mentoring role with Sunshine Coast Lightning.

The playing career ended.

The netball work did not.

Frequently Asked Questions

How old is Laura Langman?

Laura Langman was born on 16 April 1986. She is 40 years old as of September 2026.

Where was Laura Langman born?

She was born in Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand.

How tall is Laura Langman?

Her listed height is 173 cm, or 1.73 metres.

What position did Laura Langman play?

She mainly played centre, wing defence and wing attack.

Who is Laura Langman’s husband?

She is married to Adrian Pooley. They married in 2014.

How many Tests did Laura Langman play?

Netball New Zealand reported 163 Tests when she retired, while a later official historical database lists 165.

Did Laura Langman win the Netball World Cup?

Yes. She captained New Zealand to the 2019 Netball World Cup title in Liverpool.

Is Laura Langman still playing netball?

She retired from elite international netball in 2020, but returned to competitive netball in Queensland with Moreton Bay City Pulse in 2026.

Nz Beat