By Amellia Wood
Hailing from Savusavu, an idyllic Fijian tourism hotspot, Koster knows true beauty when she sees it.
It was this attraction to the graceful elegance of netball in her youth that allowed her to see how sport and art collide.
“I have always been passionate about watching netball,” Koster said. “I’ve been fascinated by the skill and power in the game since I was in school.
“Unfortunately, I was declared ‘hopeless’ by my peers in primary school, which is ironically funny in hindsight.”
As a child, Koster remembers being brought up to dismiss mainstream ideals surrounding gender and its role in family, sport, and life.
“I am fortunate that my parents valued education and did not see gender as a barrier to success,” she explained.
“In fact, quite the opposite, they insisted that my siblings and I do the best that we cannot matter the stereotypes.”
“This has meant that we have, at a basic level, not imposed barriers on ourselves and taken up opportunities as we see fit.”
A testament to her values of equality and self-belief, Koster took on her greatest opportunity yet in October of this year to become the inaugural CEO of Fiji Netball Association.
Previously she had been involved in netball in a number of capacities – as club manager, as district manager and as an administrator.
“I was also Vice President of Netball Fiji, first in an interim capacity in 2010 then elected for the position from 2011 to 2020,” Koster added.
“All of this work was voluntary of course so in my other professional life I was both an academic and a consultant.”
Holding a Post Graduate Diploma in Social Policy and Administration and a Master of Arts from the University of the South Pacific, Koster taught sociology and Youth Development at the tertiary level.
She also consulted on several projects including developing an anti-corruption toolkit for Pacific youth advocates, co-developing transformational leadership guides, and evaluating a project aimed at the rethinking of ecumenical work in relation to ecology.
With two decades of sports administration experience behind her, Koster said she knew both the changes and challenges that would come with accepting such a pivotal role as CEO.
“Netball is regarded as the premier sport for girls and women in Fiji,” she said. “Its popularity can be seen in its regular feature in village and community sports tournaments.
“Women have generally held the administrative positions in netball districts and in the national body. I recognise that this is due to netball existing in a gendered space, with the assumption that it is a ‘woman’s sport’,
“While, in other sports, administrative positions tend to be held by males with some sports requiring at least one board post reserved for women to ensure ‘representation’.”
The gender imbalance across sports in her nation is something Koster keeps at the forefront of her planning.
Having already worked in the administrative system for Fiji Netball and served on a range of community development projects, Koster’s assurance for stability in her sector seems clear.
“My favorite part of being CEO is that I get to plan and implement ideas that Netball Fiji has had for years but were unable to do because it’s been run purely on volunteers,” she said.
“This meant people simply did not have the time, and a lot of time the energy, to put those plans into effect.”
One initiative that will allow Koster’s grand plans for Fiji Netball to come to fruition is the Pacific Women’s Sports Administration Program.
Targeting Fiji, Samoa, Papua New Guinea and Tonga, the initiative aims to create avenues in the Pacific for women’s leadership in netball and enable associations to advance women in decision-making roles.
The program will work to promote gender equality, leadership and economic opportunities and livelihoods for women across the region. In providing more resources and training to partner countries, it is a goal to reduce barriers to female participation and increase the safety to participate.
Koster said the program is what she’s been waiting for to growth all levels of netball, not only in terms of play, but also governance.
“This support means that Netball Fiji can restructure itself and retain more staff, including my position, to move the game, the community and the federation forward.
“It is an opportunity to reexamine ourselves to see what works, what doesn’t work, and what needs tuning.
“Ultimately, it means building our administrators, who are predominantly women.”
Reflecting on her abundance on memories in previous positions in netball, Koster said she hopes more women can one day reflect as she can, knowing they made their mark on the greatest sport there is.
“I once observed a district representative team unload their truck load of materials including bamboo poles for their shelter because they lived in the highlands of Fiji, and their resilience meant being prepared for everything.
“Hosting international test matches in Suva which included the Silver Ferns, that was a huge personal milestone too as I was both the Event and Series Manager.
“I believe in empowering those around you and they in turn empower you. My advice to women wanting to work in sports administration – Go for it! Find your niche and own it irrespective of what others say and do.”
