Catch The Excitement Of Netball, It’s Spreading Worldwide

The athletic contests and battles fought in the distant future will always have techniques and applications deeply rooted in the past.

This was often on display when the crew of Star Trek Voyager and the Enterprise needed a little rest and recreation.

A woman who demonstrated that females will always be formidable in the athletic arena was Seven of Nine.

fciwomenswrestling.com, femcompetitor.com article, Paramount Network Television photo credit

Seven of Nine appeared in seasons four through seven of Star Trek Voyager

Her full Borg designation is Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One.

The character Seven of Nine arrived just as the character Kes was leaving, and was intended to introduce a foil to Captain Kathryn Janeway in a similar manner as Spock in Star Trek: The Original Series.

Seven of Nine was played by Jeri Ryan for four Voyager seasons.

Being part Borg, this was one beauty you did not want to mess with even though the Holodeck was a world of fantasy where you could get up after being artificially killed or wounded.

One such game in our time involving formidable women that is based upon sports from the past is Netball.

Have you heard of it?

If you have, do you know how it’s played?

Netball is a ball sport played by two teams of seven players.

fciwomenswrestling.com, femcompetitor.com article, www.northwichsapphiresnetball.co.uk photo credit

Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960, international playing rules had been standardized for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women’s Basketball (later renamed the International Netball Federation (INF)) was formed.

Games are played on a rectangular court with raised goal rings at each end. Each team attempts to score goals by passing a ball down the court and shooting it through its goal ring.

Players are assigned specific positions, which define their roles within the team and restrict their movement to certain areas of the court.

During general play, a player with the ball can hold on to it for only three seconds before shooting for a goal or passing to another player. The winning team is the one that scores the most goals. Netball games are 60 minutes long. Variations have been developed to increase the game’s pace and appeal to a wider audience.

Netball is most popular in Commonwealth nations, an international association consisting of the United Kingdom together with states that were previously part of the British Empire, and dependencies.

The British monarch is the symbolic head of the Commonwealth.

Netball is predominantly played by women. Netball emerged and evolved into its own sport as the number of women participating in sports increased.

You probably didn’t know this. According to the INF, netball is played by more than 20 million people in more than 80 countries.

That is a massive population. We want a closer look. As with any sport you desire to have mass appeal, you need to sell it.

We’re open to the pitch.

At netballamerica.com they smile, “Netball is a fast, exciting, true team sport which involves running, jumping, throwing and catching.

Netball is similar to basketball although the rules, equipment and team numbers are slightly different: no dribbling; no running with the ball.”

Did you know that it is recognized as an Olympic Sport?

A push is underway for its inclusion in the Olympic Games Program.

They are very effective in their persuasion. They continue, “Even though Netball has been played in the USA for 30 years, several organizations have failed to get Americans playing the sport or help expose Netball to get the attention it deserves. As the largest Netball organization in the USA, Netball America is the first to introduce Netball into core USA education curriculums with our education programs being implemented throughout Miami-Dade County Public Schools (350+), New York City Housing Authority Community Centers (400+) and at Wayne State College.”

Okay, we loved the pitch.

Now time for benefit analysis.

Netball is an all-inclusive sport, can be played by females and males of all ages, and a wide range of positions allows for different skill levels.
Cost efficient sport and minimal equipment needed.
Maintains a competitive yet non aggressive environment.
A true team sport as the ball must be passed from one player to another in order to move the ball down the court.
Self-esteem and confidence is built through team work required, and players owning their own ‘position’ on court.

Since it’s a global sport, why don’t we continue to travel the globe for a thorough introduction?

At netball.org they expand on the responsibilities of the leadership involved. “It is the responsibility of players to ensure that they are physically and technically prepared in a manner that enables them to play the Game, comply with the Rules and participate safely in a sporting and fair manner.

It is the responsibility of those who coach or teach the Game to ensure that players are prepared in a manner that ensures compliance with the Rules of the Game as well as an understanding of both sporting behavior and safe practices.

It is the responsibility of umpires to apply the Rules of the Game with impartiality, fairness and consistency.

It is the responsibility of controlling bodies at all levels to ensure that the Game is conducted and developed in accordance with disciplined and sporting behavior.”

Good to know. Every global sport needs to be played and organized by responsible people with higher standards.

As we traveled the globe, one group among many that we greatly admired is found in Wales.

On January 16, 2018 at welshnetball.com they express, “Welsh Netball is pleased to announce its squad for this weekend’s Netball Europe World Cup qualifiers against Scotland and Northern Ireland to be held in Perth, Scotland, 19-21 January.

The squad is as follows:

Suzy Drane (C), Kelly Morgan (v/C), Georgia Rowe, Eleanor Roberts, Cara Lea Moseley, Sarah Llewellyn, Clare Jones, Kyra Jones, Bethan Dyke, Lateisha Kidner, Fern Davies and Nia Jones.

Head Coach, Trish Wilcox is excited about the prospect of facing off against Wales’ Celtic rivals. She said: “We are very excited to be heading to Perth to take part in the Netball Europe World Cup Qualifiers. These matches are must wins for us with all three countries so evenly matched we are looking forward to three closely contested test matches. It is going to be a thrilling and tense couple of tests.”

Sounds like things are heating up.

Stay tuned on your Sports and Entertainment Networks of choice.

Netball is coming to a screen near you so please don’t miss it.