Justine Samu's journey with Netball Samoa began as a volunteer coach and now she has been given the responsibility of leading the association as the new Chief Executive Officer.

It all started with Marist Netball for her daughters' Under-8 team. She hails from Falealupo, Vavau and Moata'a.

"Anyone involved in sports knows how hard it is to engage volunteer coaches purely due to people's availability so I took on the responsibility so my daughter would have a team to play for.   I watched my six-year-old’s confidence grow on and off the court and my 10-year-old enjoys new friendship," she told the Samoa Observer.

"I believe this is where my passion for sports grew as I witnessed firsthand the positive effects sports had. I continued to volunteer coaching both my daughters' teams as a group of us parents established a new club Oriana which has since dissolved following our president moving abroad, by then I had begun working in the office as an administrator which shed new light on the development opportunities sport could provide for a community which is what inspired to apply for the sports development manager role as I was determined to push community programs like our annual Farmer Joe Kids Tournament now in its fourth year."

She said she was offered the opportunity to become the safeguard lead for Netball Samoa which led to further development with the FIFA Women's World Cup and collaboration with Team Up sports all around the Pacific.  

She said sharing knowledge and stories continued to broaden her understanding and passion to serve the community with sport as the driving force.

“I have since also served on advisory committees.  More recently I became involved in the High Performance field with our national teams which has inspired me to work towards bridging the gap with the diaspora whilst also creating more pathways for our local development,” she said.

“My husband and children have always been supportive of my endeavours as they also see the value in the work we do through sport, as well as my family and a great support network of friends and colleagues so whilst the journey may be hard I am here for it.”

The CEO's position had been advertised for about a month.

"Justine brings a wealth of experience, leadership, and passion for netball, and we are excited for the journey ahead under her guidance. Her vision aligns with our commitment to growing the game, empowering our athletes, and strengthening development and pathways. We look forward to the impact she will make in shaping the future of our sport," announced Netball Samoa. 

Justine has been busy designing and implementing programs across the country working towards participation growth, creating pathways for development and sustainability whilst ensuring we strive for social inclusion and gender equality. She also manages her own online company Asotas1- Le Property Host; specialising in the end-to-end management of properties in Samoa for short stays and vacations on Airbnb.