WORLD NETBALL

About

Basketball was invented in the United States in 1890s, a game that was initially played indoors between two teams of nine players. A specific association football was used to throw the ball into closed-end peach baskets. As the game became more popular, variations of the rules emerged that was eventually modified to a version was established for women about a year later. This gave rise to women’s basketball, followed by the eventual converging of various sets of rules into a universal set.  

Two years after the invention, a version of basketball was introduced to female students at the Physical Training College in Hampstead, England. Over a period of several years, the rules were modified, the game moved outdoors to a grass court, and the baskets were changed to rings that had nets. Rules from women’s basketball in the United States were incorporated and the new sport was named ‘’net ball’’. In 1901 netball took the next step of independence with the publication of the first codified rules by the Ling Association, who later became the Physical Education Assocation of the United Kingdom.    

The playing style of netball immediately made it popular amongst women and the game grew quickly throughout the United Kingdom, especially in schools. It was also first adopted by nations who were part of the Commonwealth. These included Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, and South Africa. The first ‘women’s basketball’ (played outdoors) arrived in Australia around 1900 and in New Zealand by 1906. Jamaica had also adopted the game where it became a firm favourite within schools by 1909. The first international match was played between Australia and New Zealand in Melbourne in 1938.  

The main problem still to this point, was that the rules still varied between nations. By 1960 an international standardized set of rules was adopted, which also gave rise to the formation of the International Federation of Netball and Women’s Basketball. Later the name was changed to the International Netball Federation (INF) and again to World Netball. It is today the highest recognised authority for the worldwide management of the sport of netball.    

A team consists of seven players on the court and the main objective is to score more goals than your opponents. Each player is also assigned to a specific position, which limits their movement on the court only to a certain area. The court size is 30.5 metres by 15.25 metres and a game is divided into four quarters. Netball is a recognised sport by the International Olympic Committee, World Games, and the Commonwealth Games.  

World Netball

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