Silver Ferns midcourter Gina Crampton has announced she will take a break from netball next year.
The 31-year-old, who has played 147 national league games, said netball remained on her radar but for now she was ready to turn her focus to other adventures.
"The last few years have been incredibly busy with some major netball campaigns and while I am ready for a break and not entirely sure what my netball future holds for me, I will continue to support both the Stars and Silver Ferns from afar."
Crampton confirmed this morning she will miss next year's ANZ Premiership and international season as she takes a break from the sport, heading to the United States.
Netball NZ said Crampton will compete in next month's Netball World Cup in South Africa, but her absence from next year's domestic league will rule her out of Silver Ferns contention in 2024.
The announcement comes after Crampton took a sabbatical at the end of last year, although this will be the longest break she has had away from the netball court since starting her career with the Southern Steel in 2012.
She then made the move to the Stars for the 2021 season where she has been a senior member of the side and helped them to two grand finals where they went down to the Pulse last year and crosstown rivals, the Mystics, this year.
Crampton, who has 63 Test caps, was also part of the Silver Ferns team which won the Netball World Cup in 2019 and a Commonwealth Games bronze medal in 2022.
Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua praised Crampton for her commitment to the sport and dedication to the national team in recent years where she captained the side briefly.
"Gina has been a rock in our attacking end for a number of years now and while we will miss the skillset and netball knowledge that she brings to the game, we also believe the wellbeing of our athletes is a key part of our programme," she said.
"We will remain in contact with Gina during her time away, but we wish her all the best for whatever lies ahead next year."
Crampton will join partner Fa'asiu Fuatai, a former All Blacks Sevens and NZ U20 rugby player, in the US who is playing professionally in New York.
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