The Hong Kong law trainee taking her skills on the netball court into the city’s courtrooms

For many, equating playing netball and studying to become a lawyer is a bit like comparing apples and oranges, unless you are an elite athlete and you see a direct correlation between the two. Part of the Hong Kong squad that has qualified for next year’s World Cup, for Zenia Wong, the problem-solving nature of her sport and working with a team from different backgrounds provides a direct link between the two. “I knew my strengths of being quite analytical and practical, as well as loving to solve problems that sort of fit a legal career,” she said. “That’s also why I like netball in some way – because it’s such a tactical sport. I love it when I see the set play, and I can figure out the holes in other people’s games. The idea of things being a puzzle always interests me. “I like to work with people, in a team, from different departments or offices; it’s quite special to meet people from different backgrounds and work together. I think that’s sort of the same in netball. I have my role, you have yours, and together we achieve a bigger goal.” And after success on the court, the University College London (UCL) and University of Hong Kong law school graduate will continue to work towards becoming one in court. Wong begins a two-year training contract at an unnamed international law firm in her home city next month, although she has yet to decide in which area of the profession she will specialise. “Your mind is your greatest strength, but it can also be your greatest enemy, and that’s something I’ve experienced myself,” she said. “There have been games where I think we have won as a team, or me personally have contributed to that because I was strong mentally, and actually because I was in some way fitter physically, I was able to be strong mentally. “It’s so easy to be influenced by what other people say to you, and there will always be negativity – whether self-imposed or from others. Ultimately, self-confidence and inner strength are what carry you through; that’s what I learned in recent years as I reached elite competitive levels, where everyone possesses elite speed and skill.” Wong, who balanced academics and sport during Covid, as well as dealing with a left-hand injury that sidelined her for months just when she broke into the UCL first team, said the final five minutes of the semi-final against Malaysia was maybe “one of the most stressful times of my life”. “What differentiates you in those last moments is your courage, mental strength and unwavering belief in yourself,” the 23-year-old said. As much as netball has now been an integral part of her life, Wong was a “music kid”, singing in a choir and attaining grade eight in piano while also practising oboe, an instrument that built up her lung capacity and made her a better athlete. Still a niche sport with about 2,000 people playing in Hong Kong, netball came into Wong’s life when she switched from a local primary school to an international school, where “sport was a very big part of school life”. Still, at the start, it was nothing more than a means to make more friends for a young girl thrust into a new environment. “It made me come out of my comfort zone to speak more English, and to try something new. I think I’ll always be grateful that I did that,” she said. “It opened a lot of doors for me, made me more outgoing and comfortable being with people. I think netball has helped me a lot with my confidence as a person.” The unique rules, including no dribbling and emphasis on working with teammates, fascinated Wong, but those were not the only reasons she fell in love with the sport. “I am an only child, so I became quite independent growing up,” she said. “I never experienced the idea of a team. I never got that feeling of responding to others and actually communicating with others growing up. “And netball is so inclusive; we all have different assets to bring. If you have speed, you need height, creativity and strength. I think that it genuinely is a team sport because one person can’t do it alone, so being a part of a team, especially with so many young girls, is quite a powerful thing.” From playing an extracurricular sport at school to joining the city’s development and youth programmes, Wong was the only player in the team who came through the entire Hong Kong pathway across different age levels. Her journey in those regional academies as a young teen led to her international debut with the under-21 squad, and ultimately landed her a spot as the youngest member of the senior team. Reflecting on her rise, Wong called it “special and quite fast” to achieve so much in just over a decade. Wong said her biggest growth as a player came from trying out for and making the UCL team during her two years in London. “It was life-changing for me as a netball player because it threw me into the deep end,” she said. “I think playing in a different style and playing against players who were taller, faster and stronger really challenged me. “We played twice a week, and sometimes trained three times a week. We would travel to Oxford, Manchester or Bath to play against all the universities in the United Kingdom. Every day of my life really was dedicated to netball and law, but I would never have had it any other way.” On the night that Hong Kong women’s team qualified for the World Cup in Sydney next year, Wong, a wing attack by trade, was running onto the ball and holding the team together as a centre. Her vocal performance at Kai Tak Arena, where she was threading passes into the goal circle and making herself heard over a deafening crowd, led her friends to compare her to Arsenal and England midfielder Declan Rice. “It’s the first tournament I’ve actually realised how loud I can be,” Wong said. “I grew up playing as a wing attack, that’s kind of like the playmaker, so it’s my job to see the attack and to direct that play. “My recent transition to centre was a little different, but one that I think was quite fitting for my personality because I need to read off the other players.” The last time Hong Kong played in an international event, in 2003, Wong was only 10 days old. Now she is part of the team carrying the dreams of the netball community. “In netball, I found a home not just with my 12 players and my coaches, but I also found a home in the people that I get to interact with through a coaching or volunteer capacity. “My goal is not just to be a better player, but also to make sure that, as my teammate Gessy [Li Ga-wing] always says, I hope the next time someone asks me, I wouldn’t need to explain what netball is.”

The Hong Kong law trainee taking her skills on the netball court into the city’s courtrooms

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Part of the city’s team that qualified for next year’s Netball World Cup, Zenia Wong sees comparisons between her sport and legal career

Part of the city’s team that qualified for next year’s Netball World Cup, Zenia Wong sees comparisons between her sport and legal career