Is Netball a popular sport?

Yes! Netball is a popular participant sport in countries of the Commonwealth of Nations. Outside of the Commonwealth; Switzerland, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Argentina, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and the United States of America are full members of IFNA, along with former Commonwealth members Zimbabwe, Ireland and Hong Kong According to the IFNA, over 20 million people play netball in more than 70 countries. In 2011 60 countries made up the IFNA member nations and they were divided into five regional groups: Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. International tournaments are held between countries from each region, either on an annual or four yearly basis. 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. These competitions sought to increase the profile of the sport in their respective countries, which despite widespread local-level participation remains largely amateur.

Representatives from England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and The West Indies were part of the 1960 meeting in Sri Lanka that standardised the rules for the game. The game spread to other African countries in the 1970s, despite South Africa being expelled from competing internationally due to its apartheid policies from 1969 until 1994. In the United States Netball's popularity also increased during the 1970s, particularly in the New York area, and the United States of America Netball Association(USANA) was created in 1992. The game also became popular in the Pacific Island nations of the Cook Islands, Fiji and Samoa during the 1970s.  Even though netball was played in Sri Lanka as early as 1926, an official governing bodies was not created until 1972. In other parts of Asia Netball Singapore was created in 1962, and the Malaysian Netball Association, was created in 1978.

The major international tournament in Africa is organised by the Confederation of Southern African Netball Associations (COSANA) and they invite teams from Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Malawi, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and the Seychelles to take part. They tournament is hosted by a country within the region and senior and under 21 teams compete. The tournament has acted as a qualifier for the World Championships. South Africa launched a new domestic competition in 2011 called Netball Grand Series. It features eight teams that represent various regions in South Africa and is aimed at increasing the amount of game-time for players. It runs for 17 weeks and replaces the National Netball League, which was only played over two weeks. According to Proteas captain Elsje Jordaan it was hoped that the competition would create an opportunity for players to become professional

The Americas Associations of Netball Associations hosts two tournaments each year: the Caribbean Netball Association (CNA) Under 16 Championship and the American Federation of Netball Associations (AFNA) Senior Championship. The CNA championship involves two divisions of teams from the Caribbean islands. In 2010 five teams (Barbados, Dominica, St. Lucia St. Vincent and Trinidad and Tobago) competing in two rounds of round robin matches in the Championship Division with four teams (St. Kitts/Nevis, Guyana, Bermuda and Anguilla) competing in a the Developmental Division. Jamaica, who have only lost once in the tournament, decided not to play the 2011 tournament. The AFNA Senior Championship includes Canada and the USA along with the Caribbean nations. The tournament serves as a qualifier for the World Championship. Jamaica, with its high ranking, does not have to qualify leaving the two available spots to the other teams in the tournament. The Asian Netball Championship is held every four years with teams from across Asia competing. The seventh Asian games were held in 2009 and featured Singapore, Thailand, Maldives, Chinese-Taipei, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, India and Pakistan. There is also an Asian Youth Netball Championship for girls under 21 years of age, the seventh of which was held in 2010. The six countries took part in the tournament were Thailand, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Malaysia and India. The major netball competition in Europe is the Netball Superleague and features nine teams from England, Wales and Scotland. The league was created in 2006 and matches are broadcasted on Sky Sports.

Netball has been featured at the Pacific Games, a multi-sport event with participation from 22 countries from around the South Pacific. The event is held every four years and 12 sports are required to be represented, with the host country able to chose the other four. Netball is not a required sport and has missed selection, particularly when former French or American territories host the games. The ANZ Championship is a Trans-Tasman competition that has been broadcast on television in both New Zealand and Australia since 2008. It is contested between ten teams 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 pre-eminent netball league in those countries. The competition is held annually between April and July, comprising 69 matches played over 17 weeks. The ANZ Championship saw netball become a semi-professional sport in both countries, with increased media coverage and player salaries.

The objective and rules of Netball.

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 positioned in the attacking shooting circle who then shoots the ball through the goal ring. The goal rings are 380-millimetre (15 in) in diameter and on top of 3.05 metres (10.0 ft) high goal posts that have no backboards. A 4.9-metre (16 ft)-radius semi-circular "shooting circle" is at each end of the court and the goal posts are located within the shooting circle. The netball court is 30.5 metres (100 ft) long, 15.25 metres (50.0 ft) wide, and divided into thirds. 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). A normal game consists of four quarters that each run for 15 minutes and can be played outdoors or in a covered stadium.

Only seven players are allowed on the court for each team and they are each given specific positions. Each player wears a "bib" that shows an abbreviation of their position. The seven positions are Goal Keeper (GK), Goal Defence (GD), Wing Defence (WD), Centre (C), Wing Attack (WA), Goal Attack (GA) and Goal Shooter (GS). Players are restricted to certain areas on the court as determined by their position. Goal Attack and Goal Shooter are the only players allowed in the attacking shooting circle and therefore are the only players that are allowed to shoot for goal. Goal Shooter is restricted to the third that includes the shooting circle, while Goal Attack is also allowed in the central third. Goal Keeper and Goal Defence are the only players allowed in the defensive shooting circle and try and prevent the opposition from shooting goals. The Goal Keeper is restricted to the defensive third and tends to mark the Goal Shooter, while Goal Defence can also move into the central third and tends to mark the Goal Attack. Wing Defence is restricted to the defensive two-thirds of the court and Wing Attack to the attacking two-thirds, while Centre can move through any of the thirds. However, none of these three positions are allowed in the shooting circles and their objective is to either move the ball to a player that can shoot or to prevent the opposition from doing so.

At the beginning of every quarter and after a goal has been 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. The ball is then moved up and down the court through passing and a player must touch the ball in each adjacent third of the court. The ball can only be held by a player for three seconds at any time and it must be released before the foot they were standing on when they caught the ball touches the ground again. 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. If the ball is held in two hands and either dropped or a shot at goal is missed it can not be picked up by the same player unless it rebounds off the goal.

History of Netball.

Netball emerged from early versions of basketball and evolved into its own sport as the number of women participating in sport increased. 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 ball that was thrown into closed-end peach baskets Naismith's new game spread quickly across the United States and variations of the rules soon emerged. Senda Berenson, the director of Physical Education at Smith College in Massachusetts, developed modified rules for women in 1892 that would eventually give rise to women's basketball. Around this time separate intercollegiate rules were also developed for men and women. The various basketball rules converged into a universal set in the United States and it wasn't until the game spread to England that the sport of netball emerged.

Martina Bergman-Österberg introduced one version of basketball in 1893 to her female students at the Physical Training College in Hampstead, London. 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. Madame Österberg's new sport acquired the name "net ball". The first codified rules of netball were published in 1901 by the Ling Association (later thePhysical Education Association of the United Kingdom). 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, while "netball" was being played in Jamaican schools by 1909.

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. 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, and in 1924 the first national governing body was established in New Zealand. 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. 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.

In Australia, confusion existed because both netball and basketball were called "women's basketball". 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. In 1970 the Council of the All Australia Netball Association officially changed the name of the game to "netball" in Australia.

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. It has been held every four years since, most recently in 2011. 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. Three years later it debuted at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. Other international competitions also emerged in the late 20th century, including the Nations Cup and the Asian Netball Championship.

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. 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.

What is Netball?

Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. 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, whence it spread to other countries. It is popular in many Commonwealth nations and is predominantly played by women.

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 several 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