Contents
What is netball?
Rules of Netball
How does play start?
History of Netball
What is netball?
Netball is a seven-a-side game where the aim is to score goals by passing the ball down the court and throwing it in your opponents net. Unlike basketball, players are not allowed to move/run/dribble with the ball. It is all about the passing.
Rules of Netball
A match consists of four quarters lasting 15 minutes each.
Each team can have a maximum of 7 players and a minimum of 5.
The court must be divided unto 3 sections, with each player holding a specific position on the court.
If a player moves into a position that they shouldn’t be in, they will be deemed to be offside.
Players cannot hold the ball for more than three seconds.
Players cannot take more than 1.5 steps when in possession of the ball.
The ball must go through the ringed hoop for a goal to be given.
How does play start?
Centres start off the game by stepping into the circle in the middle of the court. (One foot must be wholly within the circle but the other can be outside of it – if you get this wrong, you can give away a free pass). Before the centre can take the centre pass, all of the other players must be behind the third lines and in position. If they aren't, they will be offside and also give away a free pass. The ball must be received in the centre-third. If a player catches it in the goal third, a free pass will be given to the opposing team. 스포츠토토 At the beginning of the game, captains will flip a coin, or play rock, paper, scissors to decide who takes the centre-pass (the other team get to decide which end of the court they would like to start shooting at – this can be important in outdoor matches where the sun can be in your eyes at one end). Then the centre-pass is taken alternately regardless of which team just scored.
The game of Netball was developed by Dr. James Naismith in 1891 when he was asked by the Boston YMCA to develop a women’s’ version of basketball. It quickly spread to England and from there to many of the British Commonwealth Nations. There were no standard rules at that time and there were both nine-a-side and five-a-side versions of the game. During an Australian tour of England in 1957, discussions took place about standardizing the rules of the game, prompting representatives from England, Australian, New Zealand, South Africa and the West Indies to meet in Sri Lanka in 1960 to establish the International Federation of Women’s Basketball and Netball. Formal rules were established at this inaugural meeting and it was decided to hold World Championship Tournaments every four years, beginning in Eastbourne, England in 1963. Canada joined this international competition in 1979 at the 5th World Championships held in Trinidad & Tobago, placing 11th. Canada is currently ranked 13th in the world.
Netball has continued to expand at the international level. It was included, for the first time, in the Commonwealth Games, which took place in Kuala Lumpur in 1998. Netball became an Olympic recognized sport in 1995 but has yet to achieve ‘programme status’.
Since being introduced in BC in 1975, participation in Netball has grown to over 2000 women and children. It is played at Elementary and High school levels, Regional, Provincial, and National Levels and at the recreational club level, providing opportunities for all ages and abilities to participate in this growing sport.
Though historically a game played, officiated and administered by women, the popularity of Netball has been growing among men and boys. BC Netball offers co-ed instruction in the sport and holds tournaments, at the elementary level, for both boys and girls. At the National level, men’s competition was included for the first time in the Canadian National Championships in 2001, in preparation for the future inclusion of men in international competition.
Netball is played by over 20 million people in more than 70 countries around the world.
