Netball

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Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifically played in schools. Netball is most popularly played in Commonwealth nations. A common misunderstanding of the sport's origins has resulted in the mistaken belief that netball was created to prevent women from playing basketball. However, the sport is the result of Clara Baer's misinterpretation of its rules. Baer had asked James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, to send her a copy of the rules, and Baer's errors resulted in what marked the beginning of the development of a separate sport. Netball originated in England, UK, in the late 19th century. In the beginning it was described as 'women's basketball' but had emerged as a distinctly separate sport due to its . It was not until the latter half of the 20th century that the name "netball" became the sport's commonly referred name. Netball differs greatly from its 'sister' sport of women's basketball due its bar on dribbling, bouncing, and running while in possession of the ball. In addition, netball not only identifies the different positions of its players, but also defines where and in which areas of the court specific players are allowed to be when they compete. As a consequence, netball more heavily emphasizes accurate passing and positioning than basketball and physical player contact is more controlled. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960, international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball, later renamed World Netball, was formed. World Netball comprises more than 70 national teams organized into five global regions. According to the sport's international governing body, World Netball, the sport is played by more than 20 million people in more than 80 countries. 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 quadrennial World Netball Championships, the Commonwealth Games, and the yearly Quad Series and Fast5 Series. In 1995, netball became an International Olympic Committee recognised sport federation, but it has not been played at the Olympics.

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