A demonstration of the Cook Islands success can be found by looking at the national team: It is one of the top ranked in the world.

Netball has grass roots support and plays an important part in the life of women on the islands.

The game's reach extends beyond traditional gender boundaries and is also being played by some Cook Islander men.

Most sports, including netball, cricket, tennis, boxing, golf, soccer, squash and rugby union, are of European origin.

[3] The Cook Islands was a major force behind the creation of the South Pacific Mini Games, participation in which has played an important role in the country's modern sporting history.

[8] Some commentators state that living abroad has provided these athletes with access to facilities and levels of higher competition that they cannot get at home.

[8] In 1991, the Government of the Cook Islands identified the lack of funding for sport facilities as a key reason why the nation has not succeeded at international competitions.

[16] In 2008, the first live broadcast of a netball game happened on television in the Cook Islands when the Silver Ferns played the Aussie Diamonds on 29 September.

[8] One of the strategies to help meet those objectives was to strengthen national sporting bodies like the netball association.

[30] Traditionally, on village feast days, several sport competitions are held including netball, rugby and dance.

[3][33] Belonging to these teams offers seniors a chance to travel that they might not be able to afford otherwise because of the high cost of transportation from the Cook Islands to other locations.

[34] Unlike some countries,[35] the growth of men's netball is hampered by cultural bias against it; when parents see their boys playing it, they actively discourage them from continuing.

[38][39][40] The popularity of netball is growing amongst men on the island,[25][41] as sport is an important way of villages keeping in touch with each other.

During this sporting event, the boys cross dress and wear the uniforms that are traditionally worn by women.

[32][42][43][44][note 2] Many people have been important in the push to develop the game in the Cook Islands and raise the profile of the national netball team on the global stage.

They include Anna Noovao,[7] who was the captain of the 1992 New Zealand side, Margharet Matenga, who was the first Cook Islands player to play for New Zealand's national team,[5] and Mamia, who was the secretary of the Cook Islands Netball Association for six years.

[7] The Cook Islands also has a national team that competes in the international Golden Oldies netball tournament.

[53] The country hosted the 2008 World Youth Championship,[54][55] and the 2009 International Challenge Men's and Mixed Netball Tournament.

[55] The Chinese government offered to step in and loan the country NZ$9,300,000 to help pay the costs for constructing the facility.

[45] During the planning and preparation period in the lead up to the 2009 World Youth Championship, the government sought to increase the size of the loan for the facility to NZ$13,000,000.

[45] The opposition leader Norman George was unhappy with how the government handled the whole situation regarding new sporting facilities to be built for the World Youth Netball Championships and the 2009 Pacific Mini Games.