Leisure Kicks - The essencial sport and leisure guide

Netball is a sport that has been played since its 1890’s in England. It is a fast-paced, low contact ball game that is contested by two teams of seven players with the idea to outscore the opponent. A variant on basketball, the sport is played predominantly by women but can also be played with mixed gender teams. Netball can be played on outdoor and indoor courts and is played throughout the calendar year at school, universities and clubs throughout the UK. In addition to a great, calorie burning cardio workout, netball helps develop upper body strength, coordination and quick reflexes.

Netball is derived from – and is therefore fairly similar to – basketball. The game is most often played on a hard court with scoring rings on either side – albeit without any nets or backboards. The ball used is slightly smaller and softer than a basketball. The court is split into thirds and the ball must be touched by a player in each one of the thirds – meaning no long-distance passing.  Players have set positions with specific purposes with fast and accurate passing being the main name of the game. Of course like in most team sports, whoever scores the most points, wins!

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What is netball?