Leota, who is currently the interim assistant coach of the Silver Ferns, will join the Wellington side as assistant coach in 2026.
The former Silver Ferns midcourter returned to the Steel this season, where she played from 2007 to 2011 — including a year with its predecessor the Southern Sting — and linked up with former team-mate Wendy Frew, who is now head coach of the Steel.
Previously, Leota had been based in the United Kingdom with her husband, former Highlander, Johnny, and their five children. She played for the Manchester Thunder, Severn Stars and was the director of netball at Leeds Rhinos.
She also joined the England Roses as a technical coach in 2021 and was head coach for the Roses’ tour of New Zealand in 2023.
But the pull of being closer to her children, Brooklyn, 22, Torres, 12, Karney, 10, Frankie, 9, and Mika, 8, has lured her back to the Pulse, where she played in 2012-15.
"Coming back from England and going down to Steel, I went by myself," Leota said.
"My children were based in Palmerston North with my family and my husband’s family and I think just having both parents away — Johnny’s still in England and I was in Invercargill — was hard on our children, so the decision to go home was simple ... they needed a parent around them and for me, that meant looking at other opportunities.
"The Steel holds a huge place in my heart, but also, Pulse does too. It’s where I grew up, it’s the pathway that gave me the opportunity to become a Silver Fern, so I’m just grateful for the opportunity that Pulse had a space there and were keen to have me on board."
Leota is currently with the Silver Ferns as they prepare for the five-test tour of the United Kingdom, starting on Monday against Scotland.
The Steel are yet to announce a replacement for Leota.
