The History

Of
Netball

Name: Tanesha Johnson

Grade: 8cb

Teacher: Ms. Dias

Introduction
In this project you will be learning about the history of netball, history of netball locally and the
positions in netball. Well, netball is a team sport and it is an ideal way to meet new people. It is
also a great way for girls to mix and socialize in a controlled environment. Therefore, it will
teach kids to work together, and improve their social and verbal skills.

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 Acknowledgement
I want to thank God for sparing my life so that today I can sit do this project. I want to thank him for
giving me knowledge and determination to finish this project. I also want to thank him for good health
and food. All of us should thank him for our hardworking teachers, they have benefited us in the good
and the bad times.

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 Table of Contents
Introduction……………………………………………..I
Acknowledgments…………………………………….II
History of Netball……………………………………..1
History of Netball locally…………………………..2
Positions in Netball…………………………………..3-4
Diagram of a Netball court………………………. 5
Bibliography……………………………………………..6
Reflection…………………………………………………7
 History of Netball
In 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts a 30-year-old
Canadian immigrant to the USA, James Naismith, was
ordered to invent an indoor game for high-spirited
young men at the School for Christian Workers (later
the YMCA).Most games tried ended with injury rates of
staggering proportions! So Naismith conjured up a
game whereby a ball had to be lobbed into a high peach
basket (his reasoning being that if a ball had to dropped
into the “goal”, it couldn’t be thrown at breakneck
speed).Basketball was born, with the original game featuring nine players – three forwards,
three centers and three guards – simply because Naismith had 18 youths to keep amused.
Women’s indoor basketball began exactly two days later when female teachers to the gym
were captivated by the game but it wasn’t until 1895 that the current game of netball was well
and truly shaped. When Clara Baer, a sports teacher in New Orleans, wrote to Naismith asking
for a copy of the rules, the subsequent rules package contained a drawing of the court with
lines penciled across it, simply to show the areas various players could best patrol. But Baer
misinterpreted the lines and thought players couldn’t leave those areas! In 1899 her mistake
was ratified into the rules of women’s basketball as zones.
Netball was first played in England in 1895 at Madame Stenberg’s College. In the first half of the
20th century, Netball’s popularity continued to grow, with the game being played in many
British Commonwealth countries. There were no standard rules at that time with both nine-a-
side and five-a-side versions of the game. During an Australian tour of England in 1957,
discussions took place concerning standardizing the rules of the sport and this led to
representatives from England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and The West Indies
meeting 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 East Bourne, England, in 1963.
Since then World Championships have been held in:

Year Where
Australia 1967
Jamaica 1971
New Zealand 1975
Trinidad and Tobago 1979
Singapore 1983
Scotland 1987
England 1995
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 History of Netball locally
The Caribbean Netball Association (CNA) is an
organization operating since 1974 and is currently
led by its longest serving President, Kathy Harper-
Hall of Barbados who, along with an Executive
Committee of five other members, manages its
day to day affairs. From 1954 to 1974, the sport
was governed regionally by the West Indies
Netball Board of Control. After strong
representation was made to further expand
participation to include the wider Caribbean, that Board was dissolved in 1974, and the
Caribbean Netball Association was formed. The membership was expanded to include Ba
Hamas, Bermuda, the British Virgin Is lands, Cayman Islands and St. Thomas/St. John.
Competition of netball. Netball has been formally organized since 1954 (55 years) by the West
Indies Netball Board of control and later by CNA (1974).
The concept of a West Indies Netball team came to fruition, and so far the team toured England
in 1987, 1991 and 1999, and Australia in 1988, and hosted the South Australian Institute of
Sport in 1990. They won the three-test series in England in 1987 and 1999, and lost the 1991
series, lost the Johnson & Johnson series in Australia, and won the BWIA series in the
Caribbean. The Caribbean Netball Association developed its own Umpires' Award Scheme,
which is now shared jointly with the Americas Federation of Netball Associations, and boasts
some of the best umpires in the World. It also had its own Coaching Award Scheme, which has
now given way to the Regional Netball Coaching Certification Programme which is also being
developed jointly with AFNA. There is an informal Inter-island technical assistance programme,
in which resource persons are provided on request, on a voluntary basis, to assist each other in
areas of training in umpiring and coaching mainly.
An Awards Ceremony was introduced in 1986, to honor persons who serve the region over
extended periods. Seven such ceremonies have since been held with a total of forty-five
persons being honored to date. The ceremonies are now held every four years.
In 2000, the Association, in conjunction with the Organization of Caribbean Administrators of
Sports & Physical Education (OCASPE) and the Commonwealth Sports Development Programme
(CSDP) launched the Caribbean Healthy Lifestyle Project, which is an initiative designed to use
sport as a tool to enhance the all-round development of young netballers. This project focuses
on the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health of youths. It is a “by youth, for youth’
project which has as its theme “Your Life, Your Health - Make it Right”. In 2004 the Association
produced a commemorative Magazine to mark the 50th year of competitive netball in the
region.
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 Positions in Netball
If you’ve seen a netball game, you’ve probably wondered what the alphabets on those bibs
represent and why the players seem to be restricted within certain areas of the court.
There are 7 different playing positions in netball and each of them signify different areas of
play. They are namely:
1. Goal Shooter
2. Goal Attack
3. Wing Attack
4. Centre
5. Wing Defense
6. Goal Defense
7. Goal Keeper

Explanation
1. Goal Shooter (GS)
The main role of the Goal Shooter (GS) is to score, by shooting the ball into the hoop. This can
only be done within the goal circle. The GS is not allowed to score a goal beyond the perimeters
of the goal circle. The outcome of the game depends on the number of shots put in by the GS.
Area of play: The opposing team’s goal third, including the goal circle.
2. Goal Attack (GA)
The Goal Attack (GA) is responsible for setting up offensive plays and scoring goals. She also
feeds the ball to the GS to shoot. She works very closely with the GS, and it is not uncommon to
see exceptional camaraderie between the duos.
Area of play: The opposing team’s goal third, including the goal circle, and the center third.
3. Wing Attack (WA)
The Wing Attack (WA) is chiefly responsible for moving the ball down from the center third to
the goal third and for feeding the ball into the shooters’ hands, which includes both the GS and
the GA. Their job is to create as many chances to score as possible.
Area of play: The opposing team’s goal third, excluding the goal circle, and the center third.
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4. Centre (C)
The Centre starts and restarts the game from the center circle each time a goal is scored. She
dictates the pace of her team’s play, creates space on court and is depended upon for both
attacking and defending. She is required to take the offensive by shifting the ball from the
defensive area to the attacking side, and also switches to take a defensive stance when
required. She is also required to feed the ball to the shooters in the goal circle.
Area of play: Anywhere except the goal circles of both teams.
5. Wing Defense (WD)
The Wing Defense (WD) is always on the defensive, unless there’s a turnover and she has to
bring the ball down to her attacking side. She is responsible for defending the opposing team’s
players, mainly the WA, and for stopping the ball from reaching the goal circle. She is to
intercept at any possible chance.
Area of play: The team’s goal third, excluding the goal circle, and the center third.
6. Goal Defense (GD)
The chief role of the Goal Defense (GD) is to defend the ball from reaching the opposing
shooters in a spot where they are comfortable to shoot. They must always be on the lookout
for chances to intercept the ball and achieve turnovers. They also keep a close look on the
opposing team’s GA.
Area of play: The team’s goal third, including the goal circle and the center third.
7. Goal Keeper (GK)
The Goal Keeper’s (GK) primary function is to guard the goal circle, defend the opposing
shooters and prevent them from scoring goals. She is also responsible for taking throw-ins at
the base line. She can be considered as the last line of defense. The GK usually has strong
camaraderie with the GD and they work together to defend the opposing shooters, intercept
balls and catch rebounds.
Area of play: The team’s goal third, including the goal circle.

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 Diagram of a Netball court

Measurements
Sidelines: 30.5m (100ft)
Goal line: 15.25m (50ft)
Goal ring: 4.9m (16ft)
Center circle: 0.9m (3ft)

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 Bibliography
I obtain all my information from these sites:
https://netball.sport/game/history-of-netball
https://www.myactivesg.com/
http://www.caribbeannetball.org/

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 Reflection
First of all, I knew the project was not going to be hard. Although some of the information is
hard to get I still find a way to get reasonable information’s. This project is just refreshing my
mind. I enjoyed doing this project.

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