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====Malawi====
====Malawi====
[[File:The Girls Netball Team.jpg|thumb|210px|left|A Malawian netball team|alt=A team of Malawian netball players posing for a team picture]]
Netball is the most popular women's sport in [[Malawi]].<ref name="Shakespear-xi"/> The Malawi word for netball is Nchembre mbaye, where Nchembre means "mother". This name clearly links the sport to women and those who are responsible for taking care of their families.<ref name=Kapsula-33>{{harvnb|Kapsula|2010|p=33}}</ref> Malawi's national team is called the Queens.<ref name=Capua-53>{{harvnb|De Capua|2009|p=53}}</ref> In 1992, the ADMARC Tigresses won the Southern African Netball Associations trophy. A Malawian player was also named the best player in that tournament.<ref name=Sweetman-75>{{harvnb|Sweetman|1998|p=75}}</ref> In April 2008, Lesotho hosted the Malawi Under-21 national netball team. The match was part of the annual Confederation of Southern African Netball Associations (COSANA) tournament.<ref name="nysa-2008"/> In 2011, high-profile national player [[Mary Waya]] retired from the national team to take up a position as national U20 coach.<ref name=Zakazaka>{{harvnb|Zakazaka|2010}}</ref> That year, goal shooter Mwawi Kumwenda received a scholarship to play in the Victorian Netball League in Australia, becoming Malawi's first netball export player.<ref name=nyasatimes-2011>{{harvnb|Nyasa Times|2011}}</ref> As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number seven in the world.<ref name=ifna-ranking/>
Netball is the most popular women's sport in [[Malawi]].<ref name="Shakespear-xi"/> The Malawi word for netball is Nchembre mbaye, where Nchembre means "mother". This name clearly links the sport to women and those who are responsible for taking care of their families.<ref name=Kapsula-33>{{harvnb|Kapsula|2010|p=33}}</ref> Malawi's national team is called the Queens.<ref name=Capua-53>{{harvnb|De Capua|2009|p=53}}</ref> In 1992, the ADMARC Tigresses won the Southern African Netball Associations trophy. A Malawian player was also named the best player in that tournament.<ref name=Sweetman-75>{{harvnb|Sweetman|1998|p=75}}</ref> In April 2008, Lesotho hosted the Malawi Under-21 national netball team. The match was part of the annual Confederation of Southern African Netball Associations (COSANA) tournament.<ref name="nysa-2008"/> In 2011, high-profile national player [[Mary Waya]] retired from the national team to take up a position as national U20 coach.<ref name=Zakazaka>{{harvnb|Zakazaka|2010}}</ref> That year, goal shooter Mwawi Kumwenda received a scholarship to play in the Victorian Netball League in Australia, becoming Malawi's first netball export player.<ref name=nyasatimes-2011>{{harvnb|Nyasa Times|2011}}</ref> As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number seven in the world.<ref name=ifna-ranking/>


Revision as of 20:40, 24 April 2011

Netball
Six players in front of netball basket. One is the act of shooting, one is trying to block. Three are in red and three are in blue.
Malawi (red) playing Fiji (blue)
at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
Highest governing bodyInternational Federation of Netball Associations
Registered players1,500,000 (Australia)[1]
1,000+ (Cook Islands)[2]
5,000 (Fiji)[3]
1,000,000 (England)[4]
1,200 (Hong Kong)[5]
120,440 (New Zealand)[6]
1,300 (Northern Ireland)[7]
10,000 (Papua New Guinea)[8]
20,000 (Scotland)[9]
80,000 (Singapore)[10]
Clubs5,000 (Australia)[1]
37 (Barbados)[11]
11,000 (New Zealand)[6]
1,718 (Malaysia)[12]
Characteristics
ContactLimited
Team membersSeven on-court players per team
Mixed-sexYes, separate competitions and mixed gender teams
TypeTeam sport, ball sport
EquipmentNetball, bib
VenueNetball court
Presence
OlympicIOC-recognised, 1995[13][13][14][15][16]

Netball is a ball sport, played predominantly by women, between two teams of seven players.[note 1] The sport derived from early versions of basketball, and is similar to it in many respects. Netball developed as a distinct sport in the 1890s in England, from where it spread to other countries. It is popular in many Commonwealth nations.

Games are played on a rectangular court divided into thirds, with a raised goal at each short end. The object of the game is for teams to score goals, by passing a ball and shooting it into their team's goal ring. Players are assigned "positions" that define their role within the team and restrict their movement on court. During general play, a player with the ball can take no more than one step before passing it, and must pass the ball or shoot for goal within three seconds. Goals can only be scored by the assigned shooting players. Netball games are 60 minutes long, divided into 15-minute quarters, at the end of which the team with the most goals scored wins.

The sport is administered globally by the International Federation of Netball Associations (IFNA), and is reportedly played by over 20 million people in more than 70 countries. Local-level participation is widespread in Commonwealth nations, particularly in schools, although international competition and domestic leagues receive substantial recognition in only a few countries. The highest level of international netball includes the Netball World Championships, the netball event at the Commonwealth Games, and the World Netball Series. In 1995, netball also became an Olympic-recognised sport.

History

Main article: History of netball
A group of 15 women in long-sleeved shirts and ankle-length skirts on a grass netball court.
English women playing netball in 1910

Netball emerged from early versions of basketball, and evolved with the increasing participation of women in sport. Basketball was invented in 1891 by James Naismith, a Canadian physical education instructor working in Springfield, Massachusetts. His new game was played in his school's gymnasium between two teams of nine players, using an association football that was shot into closed-end peach baskets.[15][17][18] Naismith's new game spread quickly across the United States. Variations of the rules soon emerged; for example, Senda Berenson developed modified rules for women in 1892, giving rise to women's basketball; and separate intercollegiate rules were developed for men and women.[19] The various basketball rules eventually converged in the United States, but an entirely new sport emerged when basketball spread to England.

Martina Bergman-Österberg introduced one version of basketball in 1893 to her female students at the Physical Training College in Hampstead, London.[20] The rules of the game were modified at the college over several years: the game moved outdoors and was played on grass; the baskets were replaced by rings that had nets; and in 1897 and 1899, rules from women's basketball in the United States were incorporated.[19][21] Madame Österberg's new sport acquired the name "net ball".[22] The first codified rules of netball were published in 1901 by the Ling Association (later the Physical Education Association of the United Kingdom).[23] From England, netball spread to other countries in the British Empire. Variations of the rules and even names for the sport arose in different areas: "women's (outdoor) basketball" arrived in Australia around the start of the 20th century and in New Zealand from 1906,[23][24] while "netball" was being played in Jamaican schools by 1909.[25]

Female umpire and male umpire watch as young girls shoot a ball at a netball hoop.
School netball game in New Zealand, ca. 1920.

From the start, netball was viewed as an appropriate sport for women to play, with restricted movement that appealed to contemporary notions on women's participation in sport, while remaining distinct from potentially rival male sports.[26][27] Netball became a popular women's sport in countries where it was introduced, and spread rapidly through school systems. School leagues and domestic competitions emerged during the first half of the 20th century,[28][29] and in 1924 the first national governing body was established in New Zealand.[24] International competition was initially hampered by a lack of funds and varying rules in different countries. Australia and New Zealand contested the first international game of netball in Melbourne on 20 August 1938, which the host nation won 40–11.[24] Efforts began in 1957 to standardise netball rules globally: by 1960 international playing rules had been standardised, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball (later the International Federation of Netball Associations) was formed to administer the sport worldwide.[15]

In Australia, confusion existed because both netball and basketball were called "women's basketball".[30] There was a movement during the 1950s and 1960s to change the name of the game in the country from women's basketball to netball in order to avoid confusion between the two sports. The Australian Basketball Union offered to pay costs involved to alter the name but this was rejected by the netball organisation prior to 1968.[30] In 1970 the Council of the All Australia Netball Association officially changed the name of the game to "netball" in Australia.[31]

In 1963, the first international tournament was held in Eastbourne, England. Originally called the World Tournament, it eventually became known as the Netball World Championships.[32] It has been held every four years since, most recently in 2007. The World Youth Netball Championships started in Canberra in 1988, and have been held roughly every four years since. In 1995, the International Olympic Committee designated netball as an Olympic recognised sport.[13][14][15] Three years later it debuted at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur.[15] Other international competitions also emerged in the late 20th century, including the Nations Cup and the Asian Netball Championship.[33]

Passing types and styles by nation change over time. Prior to 1965, England and most European countries played a one-handed, long passing game while Australia and New Zealand played a two-handed, short passing style of game.[34] By the mid-1980s, Australia had started playing a style of game similar to that of England during the 1960s, with the emphasis on one-handed shoulder passes.[35]

Description and rules

Main article: Rules of netball
Diagram of netball court. Court is divided into thirds. Dimensions list on diagram. Position listed on diagram.
A netball court is divided into thirds.
Three players on wooden court. One has completed shot, with ball in air on its way to the basket.
A netball court

The objective of a game of netball is to score more goals than the opposition. Goals are scored when the ball is passed to a team member within the shooting circle who then shoots the ball through the 380-millimetre (15 in) diameter goal ring. The goal rings are at either end of a 30.5-metre (100 ft) long and 15.25-metre (50.0 ft) wide court. The court is divided into thirds and a 4.9-metre (16 ft)-radius semi-circular "shooting circle" is at each end. The 3.05-metre (10.0 ft) high goal posts are located within the shooting circle.[36] The ball is usually made of leather or rubber and measures 680 to 710 millimetres (27 to 28 in) in circumference and weighs 397 to 454 grams (14.0 to 16.0 oz).[37][38] A game consists of four 15 minute quarters or four 10 minute quarters for younger players.[37][39]

Only seven players are allowed on the court for each team[40] and they are given specific positions. Each player wears a "bib" showing an abbreviations of their position.[41] The seven positions are Goal Keeper (GK), Goal Defence (GD), Wing Defence (WD), Center (C), Wing Attack (WA), Goal Attack (GA) and Goal Shooter (GS). Each player is only allowed in certain areas of the court. Goal Attack and Goal Shooter are the only players allowed in the opposition's shooting circle and therefor are the only players that are allowed to shoot for goal. Goal Keeper and Goal Defence are the only players allowed in the defensive shooting circle and try and prevent the opposition GS and GA shooting goals. Wing Defence is restricted to the defensive two-thirds of the court and Wing Attack to the attacking two-thirds, while Center can move anywhere outside of the shooting circles.[42]

A junior netball game in Australia.
Attempts at scoring goals during a junior netball match in Australia

At the beginning of every quarter or after a goal is scored, play starts with the player in the Centre position passing the ball from the centre of the court. These "centre passes" alternate between the teams, regardless of which team scored the last goal. When the umpire blows the whistle to restart play, the Goal Attack, Goal Defence, Wing Attack and Wing Defence players can move into the centre third to receive the pass. The centre pass must be caught or touched in the centre third.[43][44] The ball is moved up and down the court through passing and a player must touch it in each adjacent third of the court. A player holding the ball must release it before the foot they were standing on when they caught the ball touches the ground again.[37] The ball can only be held by a player for three seconds at any time[37] and if it is held in two hands and dropped it can not be picked up by the same player.[45] Contact between players is only permitted provided it does not impede an opponent or the general play. When defending a pass or shot players must be at least 90 centimetres (35 in) away from the player with the ball. If illegal contact is made, a penalty is given to the team of the player who was contacted, and the player who contacted cannot participate in play until the player taking the penalty has passed or shot the ball.[46]

Variants

Indoor netball

Main article: Indoor netball

Indoor netball is a variation of netball, played exclusively indoors, in which the playing court is surrounded on each side and overhead by a net. The net prevents the ball from leaving the court, reducing the number of playing stoppages. This gives indoor netball a faster pace than netball.[47]

Two different forms of the game are played. In the 7-a-side version, seven players per team play with rules similar to netball. However, a game comprises 15-minute halves with a three-minute break in between. This version is played in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and England; the sport is often referred to as "action netball" in the latter two countries.[48][49][50][51] A 6-a-side version of the sport is also played in New Zealand, with six-player teams comprising two attackers, two centre players and two defenders. The attacking and defending players can each go in one half of the court including the goal circle, while the centre players can play in the whole court except the goal circle. A unique feature of this form of the game is that the attacking and centre players can shoot from outside the goal circle for a two-point goal, while shots taken inside the goal circle still earn one point.[52][53]

Fastnet

Main article: Fastnet (netball)

Fastnet is a variation on the rules of netball designed to make games faster and more television-friendly. It is employed in the World Netball Series with the ultimate aim of raising the sport's profile and attracting more spectators and greater sponsorship.[54][55][56] The modified rules are outlined below:

  • Timing: Each quarter lasts only six minutes. Breaks in between quarters are two minutes each. Injury time-outs are 30 seconds only; standard rules allow for one initial two-minute injury time-out.[57]
  • Coaching: Coaches can give instructions to players from the sidelines during play, from in front of their playing bench.[57]
  • Substitutions: As in basketball,[58] teams are allowed to use rolling substitutions, with no stoppages in play per substitution and with unlimited substitutions per quarter.[57]
  • Power plays: Each team can separately nominate one "power play" quarter, in which each goal scored by that team counts for double points. This is somewhat similar to powerplays in One Day International and Twenty20 cricket.[58]
  • Two-point shots: Similar to three-point field goals in basketball and two-point goals in six-a-side indoor netball, the goal shooter (GS) and goal attack (GA) may shoot goals from outside the shooting circle. These goals count for two points; in a power-play quarter, they count for four points. Umpires raise one arm for a single-point goal and two arms for a two-point goal.[57][59]
  • Centre passes: After each goal, the team that conceded the goal takes the next centre pass. Under normal rules, centre passes alternate between the two teams, regardless of which team scored the last goal.[57]
  • Tied scores: Ties are decided by penalty shoot-outs, similar to those in association football.[60]

Children

Fun Net

Fun Net is Netball Australia's play based motor skills program for 5–7 year olds. The emphasis is on the acquisition of basic netball skills, in a fun environment of games and activities.[61] The Fun Net program runs for 8–16 weeks. There are no winners or losers. The goal posts are 2.4m high and a size 4 netball is used.[62]

Netta

Netta is Netball Australia's modified netball game for 8–11 year olds.[63] A size 4 ball is used and the goal posts are 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in) high.[63] Most netball players under the age of 11 play this version at netball clubs.[64] It was created to develop correct passing and catching skills with up to six seconds allowed between catching and passing the ball, instead of the three seconds permitted in the adult game.[63] All players rotate positions throughout the game so that they can experience the differences between each position.[65] The program of Netta allows children to acquire important skills necessary in the game of netball in a fun and exciting environment. The aim of Netta is to ensure each child leaves with the confidence and skills ready to play Netball.[63][65]

High Five

High Five Netball has been heavily promoted by the All England Netball Association.[66] it ensures that children gain experience at all positions on the court, and that they understand the physical and tactical skills necessary to play seven to a side netball. Like Netta, it is aimed at 9–11 year old girls.[66] There are five positions and the players must swap around these positions during the game, allowing them to try out every position.[67] The game is played over four quarters, with each quarter lasting six minutes.[66][67] When a player is not on the court, they are expected to help the game in some other way, such as being the timekeeper or scorekeeper.[66] The game uses a size 4 ball.[67]

Governance

Main article: International Federation of Netball Associations

The recognised international governing body of netball is the International Federation of Netball Associations (IFNA).[15] The organisation was founded in 1960 and originally named the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball.[15] It is based in Manchester, England.[15] IFNA has 67 national members which are grouped into five regional area: Africa, Asia, Americas, Europe and Oceania.[15] The IFNA is governed by a congress that meets every two years, a board of directors that meets three times a year, a Chief Executive Officer and a Secretariat.[15] It is also responsible for providing world rankings for national representative teams.[68] The IFNA organises several major international competitions including the Netball World Championships.[69] It is also a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Code.[70]

Globally

Netball is a popular participant sport, particularly in countries of the Commonwealth of Nations.[6][71] According to the IFNA, over 20 million people play netball in more than 70 countries.[6][15] IFNA member nations are divided into five regional groups: Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania.[72]

Africa

Main article: Netball in Africa

Netball is a popular women's sport in parts of Africa.[73][74] Several African nations are ranked amongst the top twenty-five in the world. As of January 2011, South Africa was ranked number six, Malawi was ranked number seven, Tanzania was ranked twenty-one Namibia's women's national team was ranked twenty-fourth and the Lesotho women's national team was ranked number twenty-five in the world.[68]

South Africa

Coloured girls playing netball on an outside court
Schoolyard netball game at Reygersdal Primary School, South Africa.

Netball is one of the most popular women's participation sports in South Africa.[73][75][76] While participation rates are high, there is no sense of collective identity by players as netballers and being part of a national netball community.[77] In 2002, 40% of African girls rated netball as their favourite sport and 19% of coloured girls liked netball best.[78] Many African girls claimed netball as their favourite sport even if they had never played it.[79]

The history of South Africa's netball involvement mirrors that of other sports played in the country such as rugby union.[80] South Africa was involved with the international netball community early in the sport's history, taking part in the 1960 meeting of Commonwealth countries in Sri Lanka to standardise the rules for the game.[81] South Africa's international involvement was suspended because of apartheid era policies. In 1969, South Africa was expelled from competing internationally in netball.[82][83] Other countries turned down tours to South Africa.[84][85] Some countries, including England and New Zealand, continued to occasionally compete against South Africa, which led to their national players also being banned from international competitions.[86][87][88] When they rejoined the community in the 1990s, internal racial tensions continued to plague the sport on the local level.[89]

In 1994, the national team had their first international tour after a 20-year absence from international competition.[85] The success of the South African Springboks in the 1995 Rugby World Cup had a positive impact on support for other South African national teams at international competitions, including the nation's appearance at the 1995 Netball World Championships.[90] South Africa provided a major upset when they beat New Zealand in pool play during the tournament, with South Africa finishing second behind Australia.[85] In 1995, the South African Police Service (SAPS) held its first National Netball Championships in Pretoria. The development of SAPS netball was not taken seriously until 1999 when they affiliated to Netball South Africa as an associated member.[91] The Southern African Development Community has a sport competition with over 600 correctional officers from member countries participating.[92] The 2000 national championships were held in Cape Town.[93] In 2000, New Zealand's national side toured South Africa for the first time. The two countries played three test matches and New Zealand won them all. In 2001, a Tri-Nations Series was launched between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, which was also won by New Zealand.[85]

Botswana

Netball is primarily played by women in Botswana. Girls are introduced into the game at primary schools, as part of the school curriculum.[94] Men have traditionally served as officials, coaches and administrators for the sport. They also had their own teams. This started to change in the 2000s, with men only teams having been discontinued in favour of mixed gendered teams.[94] The Botswana Netball Association is the national organisation responsible for netball in Botswana. It was founded in the 1970s. It is a member of IFNA and COSANA.[94] Botswana has 30 local graded umpires and 22 locally trained coaches who have been certified by Netball South Africa.[94] Botswana competed in the annual Confederation of Southern African Netball Associations (COSANA) tournament in 2008.[95] Spar – “Good for You” Netball League is the most important national netball competition in Botswana. Naming rights for the league were given to Sar in 2010. The league is divided into two divisions, north and south. Games for the 2010 season began on 22 May. The league championships were held on 27 November 2010 at the BONA Courts in Gaborone.[96] As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number eighteen in the world.[68]

Malawi

A team of Malawian netball players posing for a team picture
A Malawian netball team

Netball is the most popular women's sport in Malawi.[74] The Malawi word for netball is Nchembre mbaye, where Nchembre means "mother". This name clearly links the sport to women and those who are responsible for taking care of their families.[97] Malawi's national team is called the Queens.[98] In 1992, the ADMARC Tigresses won the Southern African Netball Associations trophy. A Malawian player was also named the best player in that tournament.[99] In April 2008, Lesotho hosted the Malawi Under-21 national netball team. The match was part of the annual Confederation of Southern African Netball Associations (COSANA) tournament.[95] In 2011, high-profile national player Mary Waya retired from the national team to take up a position as national U20 coach.[100] That year, goal shooter Mwawi Kumwenda received a scholarship to play in the Victorian Netball League in Australia, becoming Malawi's first netball export player.[101] As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number seven in the world.[68]

Tanzania

Netball was one of the most popular sports in Tanzania.[102] The sport was introduced to the country after World War I, when the country was under British colonial rule. The sport was intended for leisure and first played in schools.[102] For this reason, almost all primary schools in the country have a court. Recruitment for the national team and other high level teams started at that level.[103] The Netball Association of Tanzania (CHANETA) was created in 1966.[102] Women have historically dominated in leadership positions in CHANETA but men are still involved, especially in roles like coaching.[102] During the 1970s and 1980s, there was a push by the International Olympic Committee and the British Council to promote sport and women's sport in Tanzania.[104] Despite netball being the most popular women's sport at the time, no investment was made into the sport.[104] Netball's popularity declined during the 1990s as a result of economic liberalisation. Courts were not maintained, leagues were closed and there were fewer competitions. Attempts to raise netball's popularity in the country again have been hampered by the fact that sport is culturally more acceptable for men.[103] Top level teams in the country, prior to the 1990s, have included Tanzania Harbour Authority, and Tanzania Postal and Telecommunication.[104] Tanzania's national team is called the Taifa Queens. In their opening match in the NTUC Fairprice Foundation Nations Cup 2010, against Singapore, they won 52–36. Mwanaidi Hassan was the team's star player in the tournament.[29] Some of the top performances for the Tanzania national netball team include third place at the 2010 Nations Cup.[105] As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number twenty-one in the world.[68]

Americas

Main article: Netball in the Americas

The IFNA's Americas region includes North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean.[72] The region covers 54 nations, of which 13 have national governing bodies.[106] Each year, the region hosts two tournaments: the CNA U16 Championship and the AFNA Senior Championship.[106] Netball is most popular in Commonwealth countries,[6] such as Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada.[107][108] As of January 2011, several teams in the region ranked amongst the top 25 in the world, including Jamaica (4th), Barbados (10th), Saint Lucia (13th), Saintt Vincent and the Grenadines (20th) and Canada (22nd).[68]

Canada

Canada has both men's and women's national teams.[109] One of the top performances of the Canadian women's team was at the 2nd World Youth Netball Championship when they came in third.[81]

United States

Netball began to take off in the United States during the 1970s.[110] The game experienced most of its early growth in the New York area.[110] Local netball associations, including Bronx Netball, Florida Netball Association, American Netball Association of New York State, Texas Netball Association, and Massachusetts State Netball League, were created to help develop and organise the game on a local level during the 1970s and 1980s.[110]

The United States of America Netball Association was created on 23 May 1992 in New York City.[110][111] IFNA quickly recognised the organisation.[110] As of 2010, the national organisation has affiliates in California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, the District of Columbia, Tennessee, Nevada, Washington, Arizona and Virginia.[111] In 1992, the United States of America Netball Association organised the first national championship to be held in the country.[110] The Americans played their first international games at the Netball World Championship in Birmingham, England in 1995, where they won their pool but ultimately finished 14th in the competition.[110] By 2003, the country was ranked 9th in the world.[112] The United States also hosted the 2005 World Youth Championships.[112][81] But as of January 2011, the country was unranked as its national team had not played enough test matches.[68] The team has suffered because it has to rely on immigration in order to get quality players.[110]

Jamaica

Two netball teams huddled together on an outside netball court. The court is lit by lights as it is twilight.
Netball being played in Jamaica.

Netball is the favourite women's sport in Jamaica,[113] where the game was played by 1909.[25] At the time, most of the players were at schools and teachers' training colleges.[25] As the players got older, they expanded the game by creating club sides for casual play.[25] Players were familiar with the English rules as the official Ling Association rule book was sold in the country.[21] During the 1930s, the major competition was the ISSA Cup. Seven teams competed, including Wolmer's Old Girls Association (W.O.G.A.), St. Andrew, St. Hugh's, Excelsior, Shortwood, and Lincoln. W.O.G.A. built the first hard court to play netball on in Jamaica.[25] Netball is still played at schools in Jamaica. The Queens School won Jamaica’s ISSA/Digicel All-Island High Schoolgirls Junior title in 2008, 2009 and 2010. The 2010 title came after the school beat Holmwood Technical 33–20 in the final. Denbigh School won Jamaica’s ISSA/Digicel All-Island High Schoolgirls Senior title in 2010 for the first time. They played St Hugh’s in the final, winning 24–21.[29]

Pancho Rankine, Margaret Beckford and Margarietta St. Juste created the Jamaica Netball Association in 1959. That same year, the organisation became affiliated to the West Indies Netball Board in 1959. They were subsequently invited to have a national team compete in the West Indies Tournament that was held in Montserrat in August 1959. The creation of the Jamaica Netball Association helped spur the growth of club teams and competitions being held at school, church, community, business, club, parish, and national levels. The organisation's founding also helped increase spectatorship.[25]

In 1960, a member of the All England Netball Association went to Jamaica to coach, lecture and test umpires.[114] Two years later, an English team toured the West Indies, beating Jamaica, Trinidad and the West Indies.[114] In 1967, a team representing Greater London toured Jamaica, winning all their matches on the tour.[115] In 1970, a team of British Students toured the Bahamas and Jamaica. Later that year, Jamaica's national team toured England.[116] The third World Tournament was held in Kingston, Jamaica in 1971. Teams that competed at the event included Jamaica, England and New Zealand.[116] England's record against Jamaica in international matches between 1949 and 1976 was nine wins and zero losses.[117] In 1972, an England Under 21 team toured Jamaica and beat the Jamaican Under 21 team every time they competed.[118] Jamaica's national association was involved in the protests against apartheid policies that discriminated against black South Africans. As a result of the English tour of South Africa in 1973, Jamaica banned players who participated from competing in netball matches held in Jamaica.[88] As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number four in the world.[68]

Asia

Main article: Netball in Asia
Adult women from Brunei playing netball. One team is wearing green and the other team is wearing yellow. The game is being played indoors on wooden floors. The players are all wearing pants. Some have coverings over their heads. The yellow team is in act of shooting and the green team is trying to block the shot.
BKP Netball Tournament at the SHHB Sports Complex in Berakas, Brunei (May 2009).

Netball is popular in several parts of Asia.[119][120][121][122] The IFNA Asia region includes countries such as Australia (geopolitically considered part of Oceania), India, Malaysia, Singapore and Sri Lanka.[123] The major regional competition is the Asian Netball Championship.[119][120][121][122] In 1994, the first Asian Youth Championship was held in Hong Kong.[124]

Australia

Main article: Netball in Australia

Netball has the highest participation rate of any team sport—male or female—in Australia;[1][125][126][127] however, it has not managed to become a large spectator sport.[128] In 2005 and 2006, netball was the 10th most popular spectator sport for women after tennis.[129] The country set an attendance record for a netball match with a record crowd of 14,339 at the Australia – New Zealand Netball Test held at the Sydney SuperDome game in 2004.[130]

Woman holding a netball while other players stand watching her. Woman and shooting team is wearing white with red bibs. Opposing team is wearing blue with green bibs.
Local mixed netball game in Brisbane, Queensland.

Netball was brought to Australia by English school teachers, with a team having been organised by 1904 at Parramatta Superior Schools.[1] In 1927, a national federation for the sport, Australian Women's Basketball Association, was created.[1] During the 1930s in Australia, much of the participation in netball at universities was not organised and players were not required to register.[131] It was believed that this was a positive for netball as it allowed people to participate who might not have participated otherwise.[131] Australia's national team toured England in 1957.[81] This tour resulted in a number of Commonwealth countries meeting together in order to try to standardise the rules of the game.[81] The sport's name "netball" became official in Australia in 1970.[132][133] Netball was one of the eight foundation sports when the Australian Institute of Sport was created.[1] The national federation changed their name to Netball Australia in 1995.[1] The Government of New South Wales committed over A$5,000,000 to creating and improving sporting facilities in the state. Some of this funding went to improving netball facilities.[1]

In Australia 80% of netball is played at netball clubs.[127] The number of netball clubs around Australia has been in decline since the 1940s.[134] Still, there are around 350,000 registered players and over 1.2 million total players in the country.[135] Prior to the creation of the ANZ Championship, the National Netball League was the major competition in Australia.[136] It included teams from the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.[136]

The Australian national netball team is regarded as the most successful netball team in international netball. It won the first world championships in 1963 in England,[133] and nine of the twelve Netball World Championships to date. In addition to being the current world champion, it is ranked second on the IFNA World Rankings.[68] Australia beat the Silver Ferns to win the World Youth Netball Championships in July 2009 in the Cook Islands.[137] Australia also has a men's national team. It has competed in the 2009 and 2011 International Challenge Men’s and Mixed Netball Tournament.[138]

India

Main article: Netball in India

Women started playing netball in India as early as 1926.[139] The Sports Authority of India and the Government of India have provided much funding with the goal of improving the performance of the country's youth national team.[139] India had a national team compete in the fifth Asian Netball Championship in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2001.[119] National team captains include Prachi Tehlan, who captained the side that competed in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.[139] Some of the important netball competitions held in India include the 2010 Commonwealth Games,[81] and the 7th Asian Youth Netball Championship, held from 3 to 10 July 2010, at the Thyagaraj Stadium.[139] Some of the top performances for the India national netball team include coming in sixth place at the 2010 Nations Cup[105] and coming in fourth at the 2010 Asian Youth Netball Championship.[124] As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number twenty-five in the world.[68]

Malaysia

High school or university aged men playing netball on an indoor court. Floor is painted wood. Gym has a window behind the basket.
Men's Interbatch Games 2009 RMSA in Malaysia.
Main article: Netball in Malaysia

Netball is the most popular women's sport in Malaysia.[140] The national organisation, Malaysian Netball Association, was created in 1978.[140] The sport is part of the national curriculum beginning at year 3.[140] Netball is promoted at the Sport Carnival for All (KESUMA).[12] In 1998, 113 districts held netball competitions.[12] That year, there were 1,718 registered netball teams in the country.[12] In 2001, netball was sufficiently popular in South East Asia for it to be included in the 21st Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur.[124] Malaysia had a national team compete in the fifth Asian Netball Championship in Colombo in 2001.[119] Malaysia also competed in the 7th Asian Youth Netball Championship in India in 2010.[139] Petronas, the national oil company, has been a major sponsor of netball in the country. This type of sponsorship was encouraged by the government as part of the Rakan Sukan programme.[141] As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number twenty-three in the world.[68]

Singapore

Main article: Netball in Singapore
Short and t-shirt wearing players compete against each other.
Mixed gender netball game played in Singapore.

Netball Singapore is the official governing body for the sport in Singapore.[10] It was created in 1962, with 63 registered clubs.[10] There are 80,000 netball players in Singapore.[10] There are several variations of netball played in the country, including beach netball.[10] In Singapore, the SSC is responsible for maintaining 8 netball courts.[142] Singapore has several national squads: Opens, 21 & Under, 19 & Under (Post School), 19 & Under (Schools), 17 & Under, and 14 & Under.[143] The national team competed in its first major tournament in 1967 at the Netball World Championships.[124] Singapore had a national team compete in the fifth Asian Netball Championship held in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2001.[119] Singapore competed in the 7th Asian Youth Netball Championship held in 2010 in India.[139] As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number nineteen in the world.[68] In 2000, netball was sufficiently popular that the professional Netball Super League (NSL) was formed.[124] The Netball Super League is a seven-week long netball tournament developed to cater for elite players in Singapore.[144] It was established and is governed by Netball Singapore and six teams compete.[124] In 2004, the audience was big enough that the Netball Super League was broadcast on television.[124] The Stingrays came in second in 2008 and first in the 2009 competition.[144] The 2010 competition was won by the Malaysian Arowanas.[145]

Sri Lanka

Main article: Netball in Sri Lanka

Netball was first played in Sri Lanka in 1921.[33] The first game was played by Ceylon Girl Guide Company at Kandy High School.[33] The first interschool march was played between Kandy High School and Colombo Ladies College in February 1925.[33] In 1927, netball was played at Government Training College for the first time. This helped spread the game around Sri Lanka.[33] The game was being played at Methodist College Colombo and Bishop's College by the 1930s.[33] By 1952, Sri Lankan clubs were playing Indian club sides.[33] By 1952, Sri Lankan clubs were playing Indian club sides.[33] In 1956, Sri Lanka played its first international match against Australia's national team in Sri Lanka.[33] Sri Lanka took part in the 1960 netball meeting of Commonwealth countries to try to standardise the rules for the game.[81] This meeting took place in Sri Lanka.[81] In 1972, the Netball Federation of Sri Lanka was created.[33] In 1983, Netball Federation of Sri Lanka was dissolved by the government.[33] Sri Lanka had a national team compete in the fifth Asian Netball Championship held in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2001.[119] Sri Lanka competed in the 7th Asian Youth Netball Championship held in 2010 in India.[139] As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number fifteen in the world.[68]

Europe

Main article: Netball in Europe
Netball players in centre third of court. One player in red has caught the ball and two players in white are moving towards her.
Orkney A (red) v Shetland A (white/blue): intercounty netball (March 2009) in Scotland.

Netball is primarily played in Commonwealth countries, which were heavily involved in standardising the rules for netball.[81] The Federation of European Netball Associations (FENA), sometimes referred to as Netball Europe, is the governing body for netball in the Europe netball region. The organisation was created in 1989/1990.[146] As of January 2011, the English women's national team was ranked number three in the world, Northern Ireland is ranked number twelve, and Wales is ranked number fourteen.[68]

The major netball competition in Europe is the Netball Superleague.[147] The Netball Superleague is the elite netball competition in England, Wales and Scotland.[22][147][148] The league features nine teams from all areas of Britain.[147]

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, netball management has been traditionally run by women.[149] This is different from many other sports for women in the United Kingdom where men have managed women's sport.[149]

England
Main article: Netball in England
English national team is standing in a row, wearing red uniforms, on one of the centre lines that divides the court in three.
The English national team at the England v Australia Netball test: Adelaide, October 2008.

In England, netball has been popular enough to be included as part of the physical education curriculum.[150] Its inclusion had been at times controversial; during the 1910s and 1920s, schools worried about the potential negative impact of physical exercise like netball participation on the health of girls.[151]

Wales

The Welsh Netball Association (Cymdeithas Pêl Rwyd Cymru) was created in 1945.[152] The WNA is responsible for national championships, Welsh squad selection, international matches, the training and development of players, coaches, and umpires and for the Sport Wales National Centre Netball Academy, Cardiff.[153] The Welsh Netball Association is based in Pontcanna, Cardiff.[153] Like other national associations, the Welsh have created a modified version of the game for children called "Dragon Netball".[152] It is geared for seven to eleven year olds.[152] Male participation in netball in Wales has been increasing in the past several years.[152]

Northern Ireland

The rate of comparative participation for netball to other sports differs from key-stage to key-stage (year levels in school) in Northern Ireland.[154] For girls, netball is the third most popular participation sport in key-stage 2 with a 7% participation rate.[154] For key-stage 3 and key-stage 4, it is the most popular girls participation sport with rates of 20.2% and 14.0% respectively.[154] In the sixth form, netball is the fifth most popular girls' participation sport with a rate of 6.7%.[154] The total number of school participants is about 900.[7] In Northern Ireland, about 1,300 women play competitive netball in club based leagues.[7]

Oceania

Wooden sculpture of two netball players closely contesting for possession of a netball, at Invercargill Airport in Southland, New Zealand.
Netball sculpture in Southland, New Zealand.
Main article: Netball in Oceania

In Australia[71] and New Zealand, netball is one of the most popular sports played by women.[39][155][156] Women's sport in Oceania has traditionally had a very low profile.[157] Despite this, netball is popular in Oceania, with its growth partly because of New Zealand encouraging the game and providing money for the training of coaches, umpires and other netball development needs.[158] Netball is one of the sports at the Pacific Games, a multi-sport event, with participation from countries around the South Pacific, that is held every four years.[159] The popularity of netball is growing amongst men on the island countries in Oceania, because sport is an important way for villages to keep in touch with each other.[159] The game's popularity can also be seen in local languages, where words have been created to describe it. In Niue, the words include neteplo, pelê neteplo, pelê.[160] The Oceania Netball Federation (ONF) is the governing body for netball in the Oceania region.[161]

New Zealand

Main article: Netball in New Zealand

In New Zealand, netball is the most popular women's participation sport. In 1984, there were 114,210 players.[126] There are over 11,000 teams and 120,440 players.[6] The only sport that comes close is golf, which has 128,860 male and female players.[6] Ninety-eight percent of New Zealand netball players are female.[162] The sports with the next highest rates of female participation are field hockey and horse racing, both at sixty-four percent.[163] Netball is extremely popular amongst Māori women, who are more active in sport in general than their white counterparts.[164] New Zealand took part in the 1960 netball meeting of Commonwealth countries to try to standardise the rules for the game.[81] New Zealand has a history of netball being a spectator sport with the games being televised on TVNZ.[6] The 1999 Netball World Championships final between Australia and New Zealand was the highest rated program ever on New Zealand television.[6] New Zealand also has a men's national team that has competed in the 2009 and 2011 International Challenge Men’s and Mixed Netball Tournament.[138] As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number one in the world.[68]

Cook Islands

Main article: Netball in the Cook Islands

The Cook Islands are a major netball playing country in Oceania,[124] with over 1,000 registered members.[2] The game became popular during the 1970s,[158] and the team has been an important in the region since then.[165] The country has participated at several international events including the Pacific Games,[165] the Commonwealth Games,[166] the Netball World Championships,[166] the World Games,[165] the Oceania Netball Tournament,[165] the World Youth Netball Championship,[124] and the International Challenge Men’s and Mixed Netball Tournament.[138] Netball has a lot of grass roots support and is an important part of life for many women on the islands.[167][168] Netball started to grow in popularity during the 1970s.[158] The sport's popularity is partly due to the influence of New Zealand, where Cook Island players have competed for New Zealand's national team. New Zealand worked hard to develop the sport in the country during the 1980s, when they hosted a number of coaching and umpiring clinics.[158] Participation in the international netball community has helped raise the Cook Islands profile globally.[169][170] The Cook Islands won the netball competition at the first South Pacific Games (now Pacific Games), held in 1981.[165] In the 1987 Netball World Championships held in Scotland the Cook Islands team came in sixth.[165] At the World Games 1989 in Germany, the team came fourth.[165] In the 1990 Oceania Netball Tournament, the team beat New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji to come in second, behind Australia.[165] At the 1992 World Youth Cup in Samoa, the Cook Islands U-21 team beat several high profile international teams including Wales, Samoa, and England.[169] The Cook Islands defeat of Canada, 114–13, in that tournament was a record for the highest number of points scored in the tournament.[169] The Cook Islands has a national team that competes in the international Golden Oldies netball tournament.[171] In 2004, a team from the Cook Islands competed in the International Schoolgirls Netball Challenge.[28] The country hosted the 2008 World Youth Championship[172] and the 2009 International Challenge Men’s and Mixed Netball Tournament.[138] As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number eleven in the world.[68]

Fiji

Main article: Netball in Fiji
An outdoor netball game taking place in Fiji. The game is being played on grass. The players are either high school age or adults. Both teams are wearing blue netball uniforms. The team in the darker blue is in the act of passing the ball.
A netball competition at Natalei, Fiji.

Women's participation in netball in Fiji is comparable to men's participation in rugby.[173] The sport started to grow in popularity during the 1970s.[158] Netball has a large amount of grassroots support in Fiji. Games are most often played by girls on Saturdays during the winter, though games can be played at all times of the year.[159] Samoa and Fiji are traditional netball rivals. This rivalry can be seen at events like Pacific Games.[159] Fiji was supposed to host the 2007 World Netball Championship, but a military coup occurred. IFNA decided to move the championship to Auckland instead.[173] As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number five in the world.[68] Fiji has a men's national team that has competed in the 2009 and 2011 International Challenge Men’s and Mixed Netball Tournament.[138]

Samoa

Main article: Netball in Samoa

Netball has a large amount of grassroots support in Samoa. Games are most often played by girls on Saturdays during the winter, though games can be played at all times of the year.[159] The sport started to grow in popularity during the 1970s.[158] Rita Fatialofa was a Samoan netball player, who later went on to compete on New Zealand's national team. She became the coach for the Samoan national team, qualifying them for every Pacific Games.[174] Samoa and Fiji are traditional netball rivals. This rivalry can be seen at events like Pacific Games.[159] As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number nine in the world.[68] Samoa has a men's national team that has competed in the 2009 and 2011 International Challenge Men's and Mixed Netball Tournament.[138] At Gay Games VI held in 2000, a transgendered netball team from Samoa competed.[175]

Demographic appeal

Men

On the club, national and international level, men's netball teams exist, but attract less attention.[176] Mixed teams are not uncommon in Australia and are very popular.[136] Men's national teams do exist for countries including Canada, Dubai, England, Fiji, Jamaica, Kenya and Pakistan.[109] In 1997, in England male participation comprised 0.7% of the total netball playing population within schools.[177] Unlike women's netball at elite and national levels, men's and mixed gendered teams in countries like Fiji, Australia and New Zealand are largely self-funded.[135] When administrators attend conferences for men's and mixed gendered netball, they also have to pay most of their own costs.[135]

Netball started to become popular for male players in Australia during the 1980s as men started to watch the sport that their wives and girlfriends were participating in.[135] In Australia, the sport began to be played with the appearance of mixed gendered social teams.[135] In 1985, the first Australian men's championship was held.[135] The levels contested included: Open, Open Reserves, 21 and Under, 19 and Under, 17 and Under and Masters.[135] The South Australian Mens Netball Association was founded in 1998.[135] In 2000, the national organisation basically collapsed because of a lack of interest.[135] In 2001, the South Australians tried to recreate the national organisation under their own state organisation, calling it the Australian International Mens and Mixed Netball Association.[135] The new organisation held its first Australian Championships in 2002 for mens and mixed teams.[135] In 2003, New Zealand entered a national team in the Open Mens Division and won.[135] In 2004, New Zealand and Fiji sent teams to compete in the Australian Mixed and Men's National Championships.[135] On 6 August 2004, the men's national organisations for Fiji, Cook Islands, New Zealand and Australia attended a meeting where they agreed to form the International Men's and Mixed Netball Association.[178] The following day, the organisation's first official meeting was held.[178] The group decided that the International Men's and Mixed Challenge in August 2006 would be the first event they would organise, and that the event would be held in Fiji.[178] The 2009 International Challenge Men’s and Mixed Netball Tournament was held in the Cook Islands.[138] Currently, IFNA only recognises women's netball.[135] The 2011 International Challenge Men’s and Mixed Netball Tournament was run by the Western Australian Men's and Mixed Netball Association (WAMMNA).[138] It is the major international competition for men's and mixed gendered national netball teams.[138] In the 2011 competition held in April, men's national teams from Samoa, Fiji, Australia, New Zealand and the Cook Islands are a few that will compete.[138]

Transgenders and transsexuals

At the 1994 Gay Games held in New York City, an all transsexual netball team from Indonesia competed.[179] This team had been the Indonesian national champions.[179] At Gay Games VI held in Sydney in 2000, netball and volleyball were the two sports with the highest rate of transgenders participating.[175] There were eight teams of indigenous players, with seven identifying as transgenders.[175] They came from places like Palm Island in northern Queensland, Samoa, Tonga and Papua New Guinea.[175] Teams and players who were transgendered could participate in several divisions including men, mixed and transgendered; they could not compete against the biological women's teams.[175]

Disabled athletes

Netball has been played by disabled athletes. A hybrid version of basketball and netball was played at the Grand Festival of Paraplegic Sport in 1949.[180] Its inclusion came after several matches of a form of wheelchair polo were determined to be too dangerous.[181] Players used netball posts to score, instead of requiring them to shoot at the basket.[180] There were six teams and a total of thirty-seven athletes competing at the event.[182] This hybrid version of netball was subsequently played at the 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953 and 1954 festivals before being replaced by wheelchair basketball in 1956.[181][182]

International competitions

Netball World Championships

Main article: Netball World Championships
See also: List of national netball teams

The most important competition in netball is the World Championships, which is held every four years. The first was held at the Chelsea College of Physical Education at Eastbourne, England in 1963, with 11 nations competing. Following the tournament, one of the organisers, Miss R. Harris declared:

England could learn from the mistakes in the past from the empty stands at Eastbourne. To get the right publicity and the right status desired, the game must emerge from the school playground. Netball should be part of a sports centre where social events could also be held.[32]

Results

Year 1st 2nd 3rd Venue Number of teams
1963 Details[33][183]  Australia

[133]

 New Zealand  England Eastbourne, England[124][133] 11
1967 Details[183]  New Zealand  Australia  South Africa Perth, Australia 8
1971 Details[183]  Australia  New Zealand  England Kingston, Jamaica[81] 9
1975 Details[183]  Australia  England  New Zealand Auckland, New Zealand[81][124] 11
1979 Details[183] 1st equal:
 Australia
 New Zealand
 Trinidad and Tobago 		Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago 19
1983 Details[183]  Australia  New Zealand  Trinidad and Tobago Singapore[10][81] 14
1987 Details[183]  New Zealand  Trinidad and Tobago  Australia Glasgow, Scotland 17
1991 Details[183]  Australia  New Zealand  Jamaica Sydney, Australia 20
1995 Details[183]  Australia  South Africa  New Zealand Birmingham, England 27
1999 Details[183]  Australia[6]  New Zealand[6]  England Christchurch, New Zealand[81][124] 26
2003 Details[183]  New Zealand[81]  Australia  Jamaica Kingston, Jamaica[184] 24
2007 Details[183]  Australia[71]  New Zealand  Jamaica Auckland, New Zealand[124] 16
2011 Details[183] – – – Singapore City, Singapore 16

Commonwealth Games

Netball is popular in the Commonwealth. It was one of three new sports included in the Commonwealth Games in 1998 and has been a fixture ever since.[185] At the 2010 Commonwealth Games, 12 teams competed.[185]

All-time medal table

1= Australia 2 2 0 4[186]
1= New Zealand 2 2 0 4[186]
3 England 0 0 3 3[186]
4 Jamaica 0 0 1 1[186]

Editions

Games Year Host city Event details Medallists
Gold Silver Bronze
XVI[186] 1998 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1998 Netball  Australia  New Zealand  England
XVII[186] 2002 England Manchester, England 2002 Netball  Australia  New Zealand  Jamaica
XVIII[186] 2006 Australia Melbourne, Australia 2006 Netball  New Zealand  Australia  England
XIX[186] 2010 India Delhi, India 2010 Netball  New Zealand  Australia  England

World Netball Series

Main article: World Netball Series

The World Series is a FastNet competition organised by IFNA, in conjunction with the national governing bodies of the six competing nations each year, UK Sport and the host city's local council.[69] The All England Netball Association covers air travel, accommodation, food and local travel expenses for all teams, while the respective netball governing bodies cover player allowances.[187] The competition is held annually in Manchester, England, and is contested by the six top national netball teams in the world, according to the IFNA World Rankings.[188] It is held over three days, with each team playing each other once during the first two days in a round-robin format. The four highest-scoring teams from this stage progress to the finals, played on the final day of competition, in which the 1st-ranked team plays the 4th-ranked team, while 2nd plays 3rd. The winners of these two matches contest the Grand Final; the remaining teams contest the third- and fifth-place playoffs.[189] The new format featuring shorter matches with modified rules was designed to make the game more appealing to spectators and television audiences.[190]

Nations Cup

Main article: Nations Cup (netball)

The Nations Cup (also known as the 4 Nations Netball Cup and the 5 Nations Netball Cup) is an international competition organised by Netball Singapore.[10]

Year 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
2006[10]
2008[8][191]  Papua New Guinea  Botswana  Samoa  Sri Lanka  Singapore
2009[192]  Northern Ireland  Scotland  Canada  Tanzania  Singapore  Malaysia
2010[105]  Scotland  Wales  Tanzania  Singapore  Namibia  India

Olympic Games

Main article: Netball and the Olympic Movement
A black-and-white pictogram showing a stick figure shooting a ball into a basket
Netball pictogram

Netball is an Olympic recognised sport.[1][13][16] The sport gained recognition in 1995,[1][13][16] after a twenty year period of lobbying.[16] It has never been played at the summer Olympics but recognition means that it could be played at some point in the future.[15][193] Netball is similar to other women's popular sports like softball and lawn bowls in that they are also excluded from the Olympics.[194][195] Its lack of inclusion has been seen by the netball community as a hindrance in the global growth of the game, by depriving it of media attention and additional funding sources.[104][193][196] When the sport gained recognition in 1995,[1][13][16] it opened up funds that the global netball community had not been able to access before.[197] This included funds from the IOC, national Olympic committees, national sport organisations, and state and federal governments.[197][198]

Domestic leagues

Preseason match during the 2009 ANZ Championship. A goal shooter for the New South Wales Swifts (red uniform) prepares to shoot for goal. The shot is being defended by a defender for the Melbourne Vixens (dark blue uniform). A midcourt player for the Swifts is visible in the background just outside the shooting circle.
New South Wales Swifts vs Melbourne Vixens during a 2009 ANZ Championship preseason match.

School leagues and national club competitions have existed in countries such as England, Australia, New Zealand and Jamaica since the early 20th century. However, franchise-based netball leagues only emerged in the late 1990s. The most prominent of these competitions is the ANZ Championship in Australia and New Zealand, and the Netball Superleague in the United Kingdom. These competitions sought to increase the profile of the sport in their respective countries, which despite widespread local-level participation remains largely amateur.[199]

ANZ Championship

The ANZ Championship is a Trans-Tasman semi-professional competition that has been broadcast on television in both New Zealand and Australia since 2008.[200] It is the elite competition in the region and contested between five teams each from Australia and New Zealand. It began in April 2008, succeeding Australia's Commonwealth Bank Trophy and New Zealand's National Bank Cup as the highest level of competitive netball in those countries.[201] The 2010 champions were the Adelaide Thunderbirds.[202]

Superleague

The Superleague is a domestic competition which takes place in the United Kingdom. It is the elite competition and takes place between nine teams.[203] Matches are broadcasted on Sky Sports.[204] The league was created in 2006 and features teams from nine areas of Great Britain; it is currently sponsored by Fiat.[205]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Unless specified male or mixed teams, all references to netball players are about females. This is because the governing body for the sport has historically prohibited men from competing.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Parliament of New South Wales 2004, p. 11179
  2. ^ a b Cook Islands Netball Association 2009
  3. ^ International Federation of Netball Associations 2011f
  4. ^ Netball England 2011
  5. ^ Hong Kong Netball Association 2010
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Thompson 2006, p. 258
  7. ^ a b c Mahoney 1997, p. 103
  8. ^ a b Netball Papua New Guinea
  9. ^ Netball Scotland 2011
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h Netball Singapore 2011
  11. ^ International Federation of Netball Associations 2011g
  12. ^ a b c d DaCosta & Miragaya 2002, p. 88
  13. ^ a b c d e f Smartt & Chalmers 2009
  14. ^ a b Taylor 2001, p. 2
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l International Federation of Netball Associations harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFInternational_Federation_of_Netball_Associations (help)
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  17. ^ Jenkins
  18. ^ Grundy & Shackelford 2007, p. 13
  19. ^ a b Jobling & Barham 1991, p. 30
  20. ^ McIntosh 1968, p. 292
  21. ^ a b All England Netball Association 1976, p. 13
  22. ^ a b England Netball
  23. ^ a b Taylor 2001
  24. ^ a b c Netball New Zealand
  25. ^ a b c d e f Jamaica Netball Association
  26. ^ Taylor 2001, pp. 60–1
  27. ^ McCrone 1988, pp. 148–9
  28. ^ a b School Sport Australia 2011
  29. ^ a b c International Federation of Netball Associations 2010e
  30. ^ a b Pollard 1968, p. 59
  31. ^ Taylor 2001a, p. 1
  32. ^ a b All England Netball Association 1976, p. 19
  33. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Sri Lanka Netball 2010
  34. ^ All England Netball Association 1976, p. 28
  35. ^ Dix 1984, p. 19
  36. ^ Netball Australia
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  38. ^ Davis & Davis 2006, p. 6
  39. ^ a b Davis & Davis 2006, p. 5
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  41. ^ Davis & Davis 2006, p. 7
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  65. ^ a b Plaisted 1989, p. 24
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  69. ^ a b International Federation of Netball Associations 2009c
  70. ^ International Federation of Netball Associations & a
  71. ^ a b c Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 2008a
  72. ^ a b Shakespear & Caldow 2009, p. xii
  73. ^ a b DaCosta & Miragaya 2002, p. 217
  74. ^ a b Shakespear & Caldow 2009, p. xi
  75. ^ Turok & Orford 2006, p. 5
  76. ^ Clark 2009, p. 27
  77. ^ Britton, Fish & Meintjes 2009, p. 107
  78. ^ Keim 2003, p. 85
  79. ^ Keim 2003, p. 143
  80. ^ Nauright 1997, p. 78
  81. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o International Federation of Netball Associations 2008
  82. ^ Keim 2003, p. 33
  83. ^ Booth 1998, p. 99
  84. ^ All England Netball Association 1976, p. 21
  85. ^ a b c d Netball New Zealand 2009
  86. ^ All England Netball Association 1976, p. 26
  87. ^ United Nations Centre Against Apartheid 1976, p. vi
  88. ^ a b United Nations Centre Against Apartheid 1976, p. ccvii
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Bibliography

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