Netball is an internationally famous game originated from basketball. International rules for playing the game were established in 1960. International Netball Federation(INF) was formed including Australia as a partner, in the same year.
- This game is played predominantly by ladies and occasionally by mixed team formation. But for mixed gender, separate tournaments are held in Australia as per Federation rule.
- Netball sport earned Olympic recognition only in 1995 after prolonged lobbying by global netball Associations and undergone phenomenal growth since then.
- Olympic recognition of netball became a boon to this sport as it opened up a flow of funds and gained the participation of franchises which the netball community never achieved earlier.
- Netball is extremely popular in Australia and Commonwealth nations. It is reported by INF that netball is played by about 20 million people over eighty countries including Australia.
How Is the Game of Netball Played?
To play Mixed or ladies netball, I need to be familiarized with the basic rules of netball game which are described below:
- In this game, minimum body contact is allowed.
- There are seven on court players per team.
- Mixed gender team is allowed but in the separate mixed team competition.
- The pattern of the game is ball sport.
- Main equipment is netball made of leather or rubber, about 28-inch diameter
Time Duration and Goalpost:
- 10 feet high goal post with scoring hoop or rings.
- Bib wears for players.
- Played in rectangular netball court, 100 feet long and 50 feet wide.
- Duration is sixty minutes, with four quarters, 15 minutes each.
- There is an umpire who conducts the game.
Netball Court and Positions:
Rectangular hard or soft court is the venue to Play Mixed or ladies netball, two elevated goal posts with a net ring fixed at height are erected at both ends. Each team has to defend their goal post and to prevent the other team to penetrate and place the ball into the opponent’s goal. Each side of the court is subdivided into three “transverse lines”. In the centre of the court 3 feet diameter “centre circle” is marked. Players of each team are assigned a specific position which defines their role in the team and restricts their movement within the specific area of the court. As per general rule, a player can hold the ball only for three seconds before scoring or passing the ball to another player.
Netball positions for seven players are:
- Goal Keeper, GK
- Goal Defence, GD
- Wing Defence, WD
- Centre(C)
- Wing Attack(WA)
- Goal Attack(GA)
- Goal Shooter(GS)
- Recent development
Passing that Ball:
In netball, passing signifies a professional strategy and a critical activity need to be mastered by players to score a goal and winning of the team. This involves multiple kinds such as centre passes, penalty passes and several short passes. Centre pass starts the game or occurs after a goal is scored by a team. A short pass is exchanged between two players where a length of the pass is so short that the opponent cannot obstruct it. A penalty pass is that when a ball is thrown from the side-track into the playing zone.
There Are Other Passes Also as Presented Below:
- One-handed shoulder pass
- Two-handed passes
- Overhead pass
- Bounce pass
- Lob pass
- Drop pass
From above information, it is evident that if I want to play netball and want to represent a team I must be thorough about rules and regulation of the game as elaborated above. I should possess excellent physical fitness and elaborate and extensive netball practice under a good Australian netball coach.
