Tonga Women's Wellness & Sports Association

14/08/2026

New Era!!!
New Beginning,
Any Tongan women’s rugby union or rugby league players interested in trialling for the Lofa XVs — Tonga Women’s International Rugby Team are invited to complete the Expression of Interest (EOI) form attached below.

Three trials have been confirmed for September, where selectors will identify an initial squad of approximately 45–50 players.

The squad will then be reduced to 30–35 players in November as preparations begin for a proposed international match in late November, with details to be confirmed.

This is your opportunity to represent Tonga on the international stage. Complete the EOI form and put your name forward!

TUI KI HE ‘OTUA – MĀLOHI ‘I HE FĀMILI – POLEPOLE ‘I HOTAU FONUA

Faith in God. Strength in Family. Pride in Our Country.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf5-sGW7-exuLNd0j687hW2BQfDpd3-6oedtL5U3-IpGjAYhQ/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=101364482877863080446

31/07/2026

30/07/2026

Tonga Tala’s Uneeq Palavi tops the goals scored chart📈

5 games to go today. Could anyone catch her?🤔

29/07/2026

Imagine winning international gold with teammates you'd only just met at the airport. That's exactly what Tonga Tala did...

Five days before a major tournament in 2022, some of Tonga's netball players didn't even know each other's names. They went on to win gold.

In 2014, Tonga had no national netball team, coach, squad, or training facilities.

Determined to change that, former television news anchor Salote Sisifa became CEO of Tonga Netball and promised the board that within five years she would build a team capable of competing internationally and reaching the world’s top 10 by 2025.

If she failed, she would resign.

She sought help from coaches abroad. Only one replied: Jaqua Pori-Makea-Simpson, who became head coach in 2019.

“We have no dollar sign to our name. If that's what you're looking for, Team Tonga is not the place. But if you help Tonga, we will not sell you short of your value.”

They began recruiting players from Tonga's diaspora in Australia and New Zealand. Among them was goal shooter Uneeq Palavi, who was born in Australia to a Samoan mother and Tongan father.

Palavi says connecting with her Tongan heritage has been a special experience: “Playing for Tonga is always like playing with 15 of my other sisters. Playing with girls of your ethnicity, your culture, your country, that's above and beyond.”

However, that progress was tested in 2022 when a volcanic eruption, tsunami and Covid-19 outbreak devastated Tonga.

Pori-Makea-Simpson was tasked with assembling a squad during lockdown, with little access to her players. She scoured social media for Tongan netballers across Australia and New Zealand, bringing together a makeshift team for the 2022 PacificAus Sports Netball Series. Some players met for the first time at Sydney airport just days before the tournament.

Against all odds, Tonga won 🥇 gold.

Pori-Makea-Simpson says their performance was incredible:

“The connectedness and the feeling that they got from each other was so unique and ingrained in them that it was bigger and stronger than anything I could have taught them from all my coaching books.”

Tonga eventually climbed from 42nd to 7th in the world rankings and qualify for their first Netball World Cup since 1999.

Now, Tonga Tala is making their Commonwealth Games debut.

Not bad for a team that didn't exist just 12 years earlier.

🎧 More on their story: https://bbc.in/4vViUtX

26/07/2026

The Tonga Women Wellness and Sports Association extends its sincere appreciation to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for its generous grant in support of our athletes.

The funding will sponsor Willow Vaka'uta and O'tile Siasau as they prepare to proudly represent Tonga at the upcoming ICN South Pacific Bodybuilding Championship to be held in Tonga at the Tanoa Dateline Hotel on the 12th of September 2026. The girls will then have the opportunity to qualify for the New Zealand National Champs Pro/Am which will take place in Auckland on the 26th of September 2026.

Your support is more than financial assistance—it is an investment in the development of women's sport, the promotion of health and wellness, and the dreams of athletes who have worked tirelessly to earn the opportunity to compete on the international stage.

We are incredibly grateful for your confidence in our association and our athletes. Thank you for helping make this journey possible.

We wish Willow and O'tile every success as they represent our beautiful Kingdom with strength, determination, and pride. 🇹🇴💪

Mālō 'aupito to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for your continued support of women in sport.

15/07/2026

11/07/2026

Queensland, Australia: Tongan emerging field athlete Christina Tukuafu has underlined her growing reputation as one of the brightest athletics prospects, claiming three gold medals at the 2026 Coast 2 Coast International Athletics meet.