by Brittany Carter
If there’s anyone that should have an airline membership it’s Tayla Kiss, given how much she’s travelled around the world in recent years to pursue her netball dreams.
It started in 2018, while Kiss was still in high school at SEDA College.
At that point, she was still just a teenager, but she had already spent a fair chunk of her life growing up in the United States.
One day, while in conversation with her father, Kiss’ teachers suggested playing abroad could be a great opportunity for the youngster.
The seed had well and truly been planted and Kiss hoped she might be able to qualify to play for Netball America at the World University Championships in Uganda.
Unfortunately, that goal was quickly tossed aside, as she was too young to take part.
But after seeing footage of her skills, Netball America was keen to meet Kiss and invited her to come over and participate in their annual U.S. Open Netball Championships.
The tournament was going to be held in Orlando and it all sounded really exciting.
There was just one problem – Kiss was set to sit her HSC Exams at the same time.
In the end, her high school and Netball America were able to come to an agreement and her tests were sent over.
This meant Kiss made her debut at the U.S. Open and then sat her HSC exams the very next day in a random little community college in Florida.
Six years on from that moment, there’s been no turning back for Kiss and whenever she isn’t tied down with commitments in Australia, you can bet she is jetting off to the land of the free to join in training camps or competitions.
“Whenever I don't have netball here, I'm over there, participating in different competitions and training camps, which is a lot of fun,” Kiss said.
“I think it's great to get that international experience.
“Sure, there’s lots of air miles, lots of jetlag, but yeah, it's loads of fun, and we've got a few international tournaments coming up that I’m really looking forward to.”
A few members of the Netball America coaching staff and players happen to be Australian expats and Kiss says that always makes her feel like she has a little bit of home with her.
Plus, she has really made her mark on the team.
In 2022 she was named Player of Tournament at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas – which is also known as the Vicki Wilson MVP Award in tribute to the former Diamonds captain.
Wilson has been involved with Netball America for a while, helping them to develop the game.
“Netball has really developed there in the last few years,” Kiss said.
“I think that the exposure they're getting now on an international level has been really crucial to help develop the national team and their grassroots.
“I believe in the next couple of years that we're really going to step it up on the international stage.
“Last year, we started playing in the Dubai 7s international tournament and we came away as runners-up in the women’s there and won the mixed competition.
“We're going back to Dubai at the end of the year and before that, we are heading on a UK tour in August … In November we’ve also got the US Open Netball Championships in Arizona.”
Despite having Australian expats involved, Kiss said netball in the United States is played with a completely different style.
“There’s definitely a lot of physicality,” she said.
“I guess a lot of the players have that basketball background, so you do have to change your style up.
“It’s a great challenge to have to adapt there and then again when I come home … Overall the experience is beneficial because I have to be versatile.”
In the past year, Kiss’ international netball quest also led her to experience American college.
“I am studying Pre-Medicine at the University of Sydney and through that, I was able to do a university exchange in Georgia for six months, so I got the college experience.
“It was way better on travel so I could link up more with the Netball America team and also my club.
“I’m lucky enough to play for Santa Monica in Los Angeles, which is on the other side of the country to Georgia, but the college allowed me to come and go without it affecting my education.
“They were so great with that.”
Of course, many Super Netball fans will know the surname Kiss already, as Tayla’s sister Jordan is one of the best umpires in the country and officiates in the league each week.
“She’s doing amazing and it's so exciting to watch,” Kiss said.
“As her little sister I'm always her biggest cheerleader, I'm proud of her.”
The Sutherlands Stingrays sit in the middle of the ladder halfway through the Opens Premier League season. They’ve had five wins and also registered a draw.
Kiss says the side absolutely loves their head coach – former NSW Swifts midcourter Abbey McCulloch – and that they’ve learnt a lot being under her wing.
“Playing at Stingrays under Abby is just an experience in itself,” Kiss said.
“She was one of the best to do it for Swifts, so any court time I can get is just a win and yeah, we’ve had a good start to the season, now it's just about building and keeping that momentum going.
“I think it's great that Abbey can relate to us as players because, she's done what we are doing for many years … It really wasn't that long ago she retired, so we have a great bond with her.”
In the U23s, the Stingrays are flying. They sit at the top of the ladder with 10 wins and also have a great for and against percentage, as they’ve scored more goals than any other team (581 goals).
Providoor Premier League take place every Wednesday Night at Netball Central and every centre pass, intercept and goal will be streamed live and on demand via netballnsw.tv. Tickets available here
