Quick Facts:
| Full Name | Solonaima Maria Folau |
| Birth Date | 18 February 1987 |
| Birth Place | Tokoroa, New Zealand |
| Nationality | New Zealander |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Education | Lynfield College, Mount Albert Grammar School, Blockhouse Bay Intermediate |
| Father’s Name | Fuisami Tuta’ia |
| Mother’s Name | Niugini Tuta’ia |
| Siblings | 2 brothers and 1 sister |
| Age | 35 Years Old |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in |
| Weight | 80 kg |
| Build | Athletic |
| Married | Yes |
| Date of Marriage | November 15, 2017 |
| Spouse | Israel Folau |
| Profession | Netball Player (retired) |
| Net Worth | $4 Million |
| Salary | $90,000 |
| Social Media | Instagram, Facebook |
| Merch | Paperback |
| Last Update | September, 2022 |
Everyone is renowned for their special talent or extraordinarily gifted abilities in anything that sets them apart.
However, because of a lack of exposure or a lack of a platform, many of these folks go undetected in this world.
Maria Folau isn’t one of them, though. She is a well-known individual who has used her talent and abilities to play netball to become one of the top netball players in the entire globe.
From 2005 until 2019, she frequently participated for New Zealand’s national netball team, the Silver Ferns. She received an incredible amount of love and support for her outstanding performances and contribution to the national team.
She also played for a few other clubs, one of which was based in Australia. Maria was able to establish herself as one of the greatest netball players in history.
Childhood And Family
On February 18, 1987, Maria was born in Tokoroa, New Zealand. At the time of her birth, she was given the name Solonaima Maria Tuta’ia.
Her parents Fuisami and Niukini Tuta’ia gave her the names Solonaima and Malia in honor of her grandmothers.
Her mother was a housewife and her father worked in forestry, yet nothing is known about her family. As far as siblings go, she has two brothers and a sister.
From the beginning, her family and friends were quite encouraging. She may have made the decision to play for the national team and be a professional netball player for this reason.
Education
Maria was transferred from Lynfield College to Mount Albert Grammar School, where she was enrolled.
Folau began playing netball in her school years and immediately had a strong interest and passion for the sport.
She was considered as one of the more engaged students at both her college and high school. Maria picked up the game of netball extremely quickly and soon advanced.
Maria even won the captain’s chair for the netball team at her college, and she finished fourth in the NISS and NZSS championships.
She immediately became a star on the team she played for before starting a professional career in the sport thanks to her athletic build and her skills.
She was also able to lead the first Premier Netball squad at her college.
What is the Relationship status of Maria Folau?
Maria, who was born in 1987, is 35 years old. She actually seems lot younger than her actual age, though.
She’s from New Zealand, and she’s also really tall. Maria has a fit body because she is an athlete.
She may be able to look that young at 35 thanks in part to her physical health and body.
Not to mention, Maria maintains a rigorous diet and eats well-balanced meals to keep active and fit. She also engages in a variety of workouts and activities to keep her body in shape.
As was already noted, Maria is an extremely tall woman who stands at about 6 feet and 2 inches, making her far taller than the typical woman and man in New Zealand.
She may be tall due to her genetics and a small amount of athletic training.
She used to play for an Australian squad even though she is from New Zealand. But that doesn’t alter the fact that she is a Kiwi. She loves being a Kiwi.
How did Maria Folau Start His Career?
Folau began her professional career playing domestic netball for the Auckland Diamonds from 2005 to 2007.
She had started playing netball, nevertheless, at her college, where she rose to the position of captain for MAGS’s inaugural Premier Netball squad.
At the NISS and NZSS Championships, the team she led was successful in securing the fourth place.
She joined the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in 2008, where she shared the shooting circle with Irene Van Dyk.
She spent two years playing as a Magic before moving to Auckland to join the Northern Mystics in 2010.
In 2003, she began participating in New Zealand’s U21 team. She assisted her side in winning the World Youth Cup in Miami later that same year, which was a huge accomplishment for the young group.
She was able to join the Silver Ferns team thanks to her great game sense and skills. Later, when the Ferns were touring Jamaica, she had her court appearance.
When the Silver Ferns won the 2006, Commonwealth Games, 2009, and 2010 World Netball Championships, Maria was a member of the team.
Her performance in each of these competitions was outstanding, demonstrating her status as one of New Zealand’s and the world’s top netball players.
For the 2019 season, Maria signed on with the Adelaide Thunderbirds of the Australian Super Netball league in 2018.
Despite leaving the team at the end of the season, she managed to score the most goals and take home the best and fairest prize.
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Retirement
Maria competed for New Zealand at the 2019 Netball World Cup and the 2018 Commonwealth Games before retiring.
Folau left both domestic and international netball at the end of 2019. The announcement of the retirement came from Netball New Zealand.
Until the end of her netball career, she was able to accrue 150 caps for the Silver Ferns, moving her into second place among all players for her country after Laura Langman.
How was the Networth Value of Maria Folau?
One of New Zealand’s most successful athletes in history is Maria. With the exception of the New Zealand national team, she has participated in a small number of teams.
As she continued to play Netball professionally, her earnings rose.
Although her exact income is unknown to the general public because this information is kept private, it was anticipated that she would make about $90,000 per year before retiring.
She obviously makes money each year through sponsorships and commercials as well, so that was obviously not her only source of revenue. She also undoubtedly has more sources of income.
Maria Folaul’s net worth was last estimated to be above $4 million. The truth is that, while it was one of them, her paycheck was not her main source of money.
Such outstanding personalities will undoubtedly earn more from sponsors and the media. Her level of popularity does provide some indication of her potential net worth.
Her net worth was last estimated to be above USD 4 million, and no, this amount does not include her husband’s wealth.
What is the Relationship status of Maria Folau?
Israel Folau, her longtime lover who is now her husband, and Folau are very happy together. He plays rugby professionally for Australia.
Sadly, there is little information on how they originally connected or how their relationship began. But in October 2016, Maria and Folau announced their engagement.
Maria posted a picture of the couple holding the engagement ring as part of her social media engagement announcement.
Israel and Maria chose to get married permanently after a year of being engaged, and they did so on November 15, 2017.
In New South Wales’ Kangaroo Valley, they had a lovely wedding ceremony. Israel is an Australian, so they were delighted to wed in his country.
Maria enthusiastically changed her last name to Folau after being married, demonstrating her love and dedication for her spouse. Before getting married, they were said to have been a long-term couple.
Who is Israel Folau?
Israel is an Australian rugby player who has competed professionally in a variety of Australian leagues and competitions.
Unfortunately, Rugby Australia banned him from participating in rugby in the nation due to his statements on Instagram, which included a warning that gays would burn in hell.
Israel revealed in an interview with Sky News that this was a setback for the bright man at the time and that Maria also suffered as a result of this incident.
Nevertheless, the legal dispute was resolved in December 2019, which came after the player was completely barred from competing in any events in the nation. The settlement paid him around $9.5 Million.
He is currently a member of the Catalans Dragons, a French professional rugby league side, and is reportedly thrilled to be participating once again in the sport he adores.
Israel has also stated in an interview that they were having a great time in France and that it had been the ideal place for them.
They are expecting their first kid and appear to be in a great place right now. They announced in March of this year that they will be expecting their first child towards the end of the year.
Social Media
On social media, Maria Folau is highly active. These links will allow you to follow her on various social media platforms.
Instagram has 81.3k users.
Facebook has 97k fans.