Netball

Netball
Malawi (red) playing Fiji (blue)
at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
Highest governing bodyWorld Netball
First played1897 (1897), England
Registered players561,000+
Characteristics
ContactLimited
Team membersSeven on-court players per team
Mixed-sexYes, but usually in separate leagues/divisions
TypeIndoor/outdoor, ball sport
EquipmentNetball, bib
VenueNetball court
Presence
OlympicIOC-recognised federation, 1995
World Games19851993

Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a few sports created exclusively for women and girls, and it remains primarily played by them, on indoor and outdoor courts, especially in schools, and most popularly in the Commonwealth of Nations.

According to World Netball, the sport is played by more than 20 million people in more than 80 countries. World Netball comprises more than 70 national teams organized into five global regions. Major domestic leagues in the sport include the Netball Superleague in Great Britain, Suncorp Super Netball in Australia, and the ANZ Premiership in New Zealand.

Four major competitions take place internationally: the World Netball Championships and Commonwealth Games, both quadrennial, and the Quad Series and Fast5 Series, both annual. In 1995, the International Netball Federation (now known as World Netball) became an International Olympic Committee recognised sport federation, but netball has not been played at the Olympics.