When the vice captain of Tonga’s national netball team Clare Iongi met Queen Nanasipau'u of Tonga last week, the only word she could think of was "love".
“It was such a loving experience," Iongi said.
"I felt like she cared for us and loved us before we even met her."
The Kingdom of Tonga rolled out the red carpet for its champion netballers in what was a spiritual homecoming tour for the players.
None of the current squad or coaching team for the Tonga Tala live in the Pacific nation. All are based in Australia or New Zealand.
After the team's undefeated year where Tonga jumped from being un-ranked to number 8 in the world, it was time for the players to celebrate and reconnect with the country they represent.
The Tonga Tala also met Prime Minster Siaosi Sovaleni, engaged with sponsors and ran netball clinics with schools and local clubs.
There was a street parade in their honour on arrival and black-tie ball on the last night of the tour.
The tour was funded by the Tongan and Australian governments.
Along with the pageantry, there were personal moments for the players. Some had never been to Tonga before and most met relatives for the first time.
The Tala’s captain Hulita Haukinima Veve is of Tongan descent through her father, who passed away several years ago.
This tour was her first time setting foot in her father’s homeland:
“I’ll never forget walking out into the airport and seeing all my family, most of who I haven’t met before," Veve said.
They all grabbed on to me and told me how proud they are. There were lots of tears.
“It’s what I dream of, to make my family proud."
Tonga Netball reports participation rates are up and there’s new spectator interest following the team’s success this year.
In 2018, they were ranked 42nd in the world, and they started this year with no ranking at all.
Now ranked eighth, it came along with the announcement of Tonga’s Netball World Cup grouping which will be held in July and August next year.
The Tala will be in the same pool as world number one Australia, Fiji and Zimbabwe.
It is the first time Tonga have qualified for the tournament.
