Ruth Aitken

Dame Ruth Ellina Aitken (née Fathers; born 31 July 1956) is a New Zealand former international-level netball player and former head coach of the New Zealand national netball team, the Silver Ferns.

Biography Aitken was born in 1956 in Paeroa. Her parents were Phil and Dorothy Fathers, who moved from Auckland to Paeroa after Aitken had children; that way she could continue with the travel required for her netball coaching career.

A former goal-attack, Aitken represented New Zealand in the 1979 World Netball Championships in Trinidad and Tobago, playing two warm-up games and then in one match against Ireland.

Aitken became coach of the Silver Ferns in 2001, replacing Yvonne Willering. In late 2011, she retired as coach of the national team – and was later replaced by assistant Waimarama Taumaunu. In December 2012, it was announced that Aitken would take over as Technical Director and National Coach of Netball Singapore. She is a member of the Sports Tribunal of New Zealand .

Honours and awards At the 2003 Halberg Awards, Aitken was awarded Coach of the Year. In the 2022 Queen's Birthday and Platinum Jubilee Honours, she was promoted to Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to netball.

In 2024, Aitken was an inaugural inductee to the Netball New Zealand Hall of Fame.