Sonia Mkoloma
England international netball player (born 1979)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sonia Mkoloma (born 17 January 1979) is an English former international netball player and the current head coach of Birmingham Panthers. She competed at three Netball World Championships, three Commonwealth Games and two World Netball Series.
Mkoloma in 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 17 January 1979 London, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Netball career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Updated on 13 December 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club career
Netball Super League
Between 2005 and 2007 Mkoloma played with Surrey Storm (formerly Brunel Hurricanes) in the Netball Super League with fellow England defender Geva Mentor.[2]
ANZ Championship
Mkoloma moved to the ANZ Championship and played for Central Pulse in the 2008 season and for Canterbury Tactix in the 2009 season. In 2010, she transferred to the New South Wales Swifts.[3] On 11 April 2011, Mkoloma played her 50th ANZ Championship match between the Swifts and the Magic. At the end of the 2014 ANZ season, she retired from netball with 69 appearances and five seasons at the Swift and 95 ANZ caps.[1]
International career
Mkoloma made her international debut for the English national team in 1999.[2] She earned 123 caps and represented England at five Netball World Cups, winning bronze medals in 1999, 2011 and 2015 and three Commonwealth Games, winning bronze medals in 2006 and 2010.[4]
In August 2009, Mkoloma played for a World 7 team, coached by Julie Fitzgerald, that defeated New Zealand 2–1 in the 2009 Taini Jamison Trophy Series.[5]
Coaching career
Mkoloma became England Roses Assistant Coach in June 2021, and was part of the team behind the historic silver medal at the 2023 Netball World Cup.[4] In March 2024 she became England Roses Pathway Head Coach.[4] She was announced as the head coach for Netball Super League side Birmingham Panthers in 2025.[6]
Media work
Sonia is an Assistant Referee on the revival of the game show Gladiators, alongside Assistant Referee Lee Phillips and Lead Referee Mark Clattenburg.
Honours
England:
- Netball World Cup: Bronze: 999, 2011, 2015
- Commonwealth Games: Bronze: 2006, 2010
- 2013 England Netball Hall of Fame Inductee
New South Wales Swifts
- 2013 NSW Swifts Players' Player Award
Central Pulse
- 2008 joint-ANZ Championship Most Valuable Player
