Unaisi Rokoura was yesterday announced Pearls national netball coach.

According to Netball Fiji chief executive officer Vivian Koster, Rokoura is not new to netball having represented Fiji as a player and had previ­ously taken up the coaching role from 2009 to 2013.

“Una (Rokoura) also coached the Papua New Guinea Pepe’s from 2015 to 2017,” Koster said.

“We welcome her appoint­ment especially as the na­tional team regroups after a long layoff due to Covid-19,” she said.

Rokoura begins preparing the national Pearls squad for international competitions in the New Year.

Netball Fiji President Ruby­Ann Sorovaki said: “The ex­ecutive committee is happy to hear of Unaisi’s appointment to the role and we are excited to have her on board as na­tional coach.”

“We look forward to support­ing her coaching plans as we come out of lockdown and regroup to prepare for our 2022 commitments,” Sorovaki added.

Rokoura said: “I am excited to take up this position and I am well aware of the de­mands and expectations of the work.”

“My vision for the nation­al netball programme is to ‘build from within’- to create and nurture a strong team culture built on trust that will empower players to become the best version of them­selves,” she said.

“My short-term goal is to ensure we qualify for the 2023 Netball World Cup in South Africa and ultimately over the next three years improve our world ranking.”

The Fiji National Sports Commission is supporting the NF’s high performance pro­grammes through financial support for coaching staff.