Netball in Asia
Encyclopedia
Netball is popular in several parts of Asia. The IFNA Asia region includes countries such as Australia (geopolitically considered part of Oceania), India, Malaysia, Singapore and Sri Lanka. The major regional competition is the Asian Netball Championship
. In 1994, the first Asian Youth Championship was held in Hong Kong
.
Netball was brought to Australia by English school teachers, with a team having been organised by 1904 at Parramatta Superior Schools. In 1927, a national federation for the sport, Australian Women's Basketball Association, was created. During the 1930s in Australia, much of the participation in netball at universities was not organised and players were not required to register. It was believed that this was a positive for netball as it allowed people to participate who might not have participated otherwise. Australia's national team toured England in 1957. This tour resulted in a number of Commonwealth countries meeting together in order to try to standardise the rules of the game. The sport's name "netball" became official in Australia in 1970. Netball was one of the eight foundation sports when the Australian Institute of Sport was created. The national federation changed their name to Netball Australia in 1995. The Government of New South Wales committed over to creating and improving sporting facilities in the state. Some of this funding went to improving netball facilities.
In Australia 80% of netball is played at netball clubs. The number of netball clubs around Australia has been in decline since the 1940s. Still, there are around 350,000 registered players and over 1.2 million total players in the country. Prior to the creation of the ANZ Championship, the National Netball League was the major competition in Australia. It included teams from the Australian Capital Territory
, New South Wales
, Queensland
, Victoria
, South Australia
and Western Australia
.
The Australian national netball team is regarded as the most successful netball team in international netball. It won the first world championships in 1963 in England, and nine of the twelve Netball World Championships to date. In addition to being the current world champion, it is ranked second on the IFNA World Rankings
. Australia beat the Silver Ferns to win the World Youth Netball Championships in July 2009 in the Cook Islands
. Australia also has a men's national team. It has competed in the 2009 and 2011 International Challenge Men’s and Mixed Netball Tournament.
and the Government of India have provided much funding with the goal of improving the performance of the country's youth national team. India had a national team compete in the fifth Asian Netball Championship in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2001. National team captains include Prachi Tehlan
, who captained the side that competed in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi
. Some of the important netball competitions held in India include the 2010 Commonwealth Games
, and the 7th Asian Youth Netball Championship, held from 3 to 10 July 2010, at the Thyagaraj Stadium. Some of the top performances for the India national netball team include coming in sixth place at the 2010 Nations Cup and coming in fourth at the 2010 Asian Youth Netball Championship. As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number twenty-five in the world.
, was created in 1978. The sport is part of the national curriculum beginning at year 3. Netball is promoted at the Sport Carnival for All (KESUMA). In 1998, 113 districts held netball competitions. That year, there were 1,718 registered netball teams in the country. In 2001, netball was sufficiently popular in South East Asia for it to be included in the 21st Southeast Asian Games
in Kuala Lumpur
. Malaysia had a national team compete in the fifth Asian Netball Championship in Colombo in 2001. Malaysia also competed in the 7th Asian Youth Netball Championship in India in 2010. Petronas
, the national oil company, has been a major sponsor of netball in the country. This type of sponsorship was encouraged by the government as part of the Rakan Sukan programme. As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number twenty-three in the world.
is the official governing body for the sport in Singapore
. It was created in 1962, with 63 registered clubs. There are 80,000 netball players in Singapore. There are several variations of netball played in the country, including beach netball. In Singapore
, the SSC is responsible for maintaining 8 netball courts. Singapore has several national squads: Opens, 21 & Under, 19 & Under (Post School), 19 & Under (Schools), 17 & Under, and 14 & Under. The national team competed in its first major tournament in 1967 at the Netball World Championships
. Singapore
had a national team compete in the fifth Asian Netball Championship held in Colombo
, Sri Lanka in 2001. Singapore competed in the 7th Asian Youth Netball Championship held in 2010 in India
. As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number nineteen in the world. In 2000, netball was sufficiently popular that the professional Netball Super League
(NSL) was formed. The Netball Super League is a seven-week long netball tournament developed to cater for elite players in Singapore
. It was established and is governed by Netball Singapore
and six teams compete. In 2004, the audience was big enough that the Netball Super League
was broadcast on television. The Stingrays came in second in 2008 and first in the 2009 competition. The 2010 competition was won by the Malaysian Arowanas.
in 1921. The first game was played by Ceylon Girl Guide Company at Kandy High School. The first interschool march was played between Kandy High School and Colombo Ladies College
in February 1925. In 1927, netball was played at Government Training College for the first time. This helped spread the game around Sri Lanka. The game was being played at Methodist College Colombo
and Bishop's College
by the 1930s. By 1952, Sri Lankan clubs were playing Indian club sides. By 1952, Sri Lankan clubs were playing Indian club sides. In 1956, Sri Lanka played its first international match against Australia's national team in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka
took part in the 1960 netball meeting of Commonwealth countries to try to standardise the rules for the game. This meeting took place in Sri Lanka
. In 1972, the Netball Federation of Sri Lanka was created. In 1983, Netball Federation of Sri Lanka was dissolved by the government. Sri Lanka
had a national team compete in the fifth Asian Netball Championship held in Colombo
, Sri Lanka in 2001. Sri Lanka competed in the 7th Asian Youth Netball Championship held in 2010 in India
. As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number fifteen in the world.
Asian Netball Championship
The Asian Netball Championship is a netball competition held every four years with teams from across Asia competing.The sixth Asian Netball Championship was held in 2005, and was won by the Singaporean team with a win over the Malaysian team with a score of 53–39 in the final. The fifth Asian...
. In 1994, the first Asian Youth Championship was held in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
Australia
Netball has the highest participation rate of any team sport—male or female—in Australia; however, it has not managed to become a large spectator sport. In 2005 and 2006, netball was the 10th most popular spectator sport for women after tennis. The country set an attendance record for a netball match with a record crowd of 14,339 at the Australia – New Zealand Netball Test held at the Sydney SuperDome game in 2004.Netball was brought to Australia by English school teachers, with a team having been organised by 1904 at Parramatta Superior Schools. In 1927, a national federation for the sport, Australian Women's Basketball Association, was created. During the 1930s in Australia, much of the participation in netball at universities was not organised and players were not required to register. It was believed that this was a positive for netball as it allowed people to participate who might not have participated otherwise. Australia's national team toured England in 1957. This tour resulted in a number of Commonwealth countries meeting together in order to try to standardise the rules of the game. The sport's name "netball" became official in Australia in 1970. Netball was one of the eight foundation sports when the Australian Institute of Sport was created. The national federation changed their name to Netball Australia in 1995. The Government of New South Wales committed over to creating and improving sporting facilities in the state. Some of this funding went to improving netball facilities.
In Australia 80% of netball is played at netball clubs. The number of netball clubs around Australia has been in decline since the 1940s. Still, there are around 350,000 registered players and over 1.2 million total players in the country. Prior to the creation of the ANZ Championship, the National Netball League was the major competition in Australia. It included teams from the Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
and Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
The Australian national netball team is regarded as the most successful netball team in international netball. It won the first world championships in 1963 in England, and nine of the twelve Netball World Championships to date. In addition to being the current world champion, it is ranked second on the IFNA World Rankings
IFNA World Rankings
The IFNA World Rankings are published by the International Federation of Netball Associations to make it possible to compare the relative strengths of internationally active national netball teams. Initially, rankings were based on the results from the Netball World Championships, and released...
. Australia beat the Silver Ferns to win the World Youth Netball Championships in July 2009 in the Cook Islands
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
. Australia also has a men's national team. It has competed in the 2009 and 2011 International Challenge Men’s and Mixed Netball Tournament.
India
Women started playing netball in India as early as 1926. The Sports Authority of IndiaSports Authority of India
The Sports Authority of India is a body set up by the Government of India. It was created in 1984 to help promote sport throughout the country. Presently, it has seven regional centres at Bangalore, Gandhinagar, Kolkata, Sonepat, Delhi, Mumbai and Imphal and two sub-centres at Guwahati and...
and the Government of India have provided much funding with the goal of improving the performance of the country's youth national team. India had a national team compete in the fifth Asian Netball Championship in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2001. National team captains include Prachi Tehlan
Prachi Tehlan
Prachi Tehlan is an Indian international netball player. Prachi Tehlan captained the Indian national netball team in the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Outside of netball, Tehlan is pursuing Marketing Management from Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad.-External links:*...
, who captained the side that competed in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
. Some of the important netball competitions held in India include the 2010 Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
, and the 7th Asian Youth Netball Championship, held from 3 to 10 July 2010, at the Thyagaraj Stadium. Some of the top performances for the India national netball team include coming in sixth place at the 2010 Nations Cup and coming in fourth at the 2010 Asian Youth Netball Championship. As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number twenty-five in the world.
Malaysia
Netball is the most popular women's sport in Malaysia. The national organisation, Malaysian Netball AssociationMalaysian Netball Association
Malaysian Netball Association is the national body which oversees, promotes and manages netball in Malaysia. Established in 1978, the Malaysian Netball Association hosted the first Asian Netball Championship in 1985, and the 3rd Asian Youth Netball Championship.-References:...
, was created in 1978. The sport is part of the national curriculum beginning at year 3. Netball is promoted at the Sport Carnival for All (KESUMA). In 1998, 113 districts held netball competitions. That year, there were 1,718 registered netball teams in the country. In 2001, netball was sufficiently popular in South East Asia for it to be included in the 21st Southeast Asian Games
Southeast Asian Games
The Southeast Asian Games , is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia...
in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
. Malaysia had a national team compete in the fifth Asian Netball Championship in Colombo in 2001. Malaysia also competed in the 7th Asian Youth Netball Championship in India in 2010. Petronas
Petronas
PETRONAS, short for Petroliam Nasional Berhad, is a Malaysian oil and gas company that was founded on August 17, 1974. Wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia, the corporation is vested with the entire oil and gas resources in Malaysia and is entrusted with the responsibility of developing and...
, the national oil company, has been a major sponsor of netball in the country. This type of sponsorship was encouraged by the government as part of the Rakan Sukan programme. As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number twenty-three in the world.
Singapore
Netball SingaporeNetball Singapore
Netball Singapore, founded in 1962, is the national body for netball in Singapore. In 2002, the Association was named a merit sport by the Singapore Sports Council. In 1999, Netball Singapore established the Netball Super League....
is the official governing body for the sport in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. It was created in 1962, with 63 registered clubs. There are 80,000 netball players in Singapore. There are several variations of netball played in the country, including beach netball. In Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, the SSC is responsible for maintaining 8 netball courts. Singapore has several national squads: Opens, 21 & Under, 19 & Under (Post School), 19 & Under (Schools), 17 & Under, and 14 & Under. The national team competed in its first major tournament in 1967 at the Netball World Championships
Netball World Championships
The World Netball Championships is a quadrennial international netball world championship co-ordinated by the International Federation of Netball Associations , inaugurated in 1963. Since its inception the competition has been dominated primarily by the Australian national netball team and the New...
. Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
had a national team compete in the fifth Asian Netball Championship held in Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
, Sri Lanka in 2001. Singapore competed in the 7th Asian Youth Netball Championship held in 2010 in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number nineteen in the world. In 2000, netball was sufficiently popular that the professional Netball Super League
Netball Super League
The Netball Super League is a five-month long, 15-round netball tournament developed to cater for elite players in Singapore. It was established and is governed by Netball Singapore and six teams compete. The 2010 competition was won by the Malaysian Arowanas....
(NSL) was formed. The Netball Super League is a seven-week long netball tournament developed to cater for elite players in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. It was established and is governed by Netball Singapore
Netball Singapore
Netball Singapore, founded in 1962, is the national body for netball in Singapore. In 2002, the Association was named a merit sport by the Singapore Sports Council. In 1999, Netball Singapore established the Netball Super League....
and six teams compete. In 2004, the audience was big enough that the Netball Super League
Netball Super League
The Netball Super League is a five-month long, 15-round netball tournament developed to cater for elite players in Singapore. It was established and is governed by Netball Singapore and six teams compete. The 2010 competition was won by the Malaysian Arowanas....
was broadcast on television. The Stingrays came in second in 2008 and first in the 2009 competition. The 2010 competition was won by the Malaysian Arowanas.
Sri Lanka
Netball was first played in Sri LankaSri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
in 1921. The first game was played by Ceylon Girl Guide Company at Kandy High School. The first interschool march was played between Kandy High School and Colombo Ladies College
C.M.S. Ladies' College, Colombo
C.M.S Ladies' College is a private girls' school in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is located at 66, Sir Ernest De Silva Mawatha , Colombo 07, Sri Lanka.-Foundation:The college was founded by the Church Missionary Society in 1900...
in February 1925. In 1927, netball was played at Government Training College for the first time. This helped spread the game around Sri Lanka. The game was being played at Methodist College Colombo
Methodist College Colombo
Methodist College is a girls school in Colombo, Sri Lanka.In 1866, a missionary called Miss Catherine Scott came to Sri Lanka and started the "Kollupitiya Girl's English School" in a large room with barely 40 girls...
and Bishop's College
Bishop's College
Bishop's College in Colombo, Sri Lanka was founded by the Anglican Church of Ceylon in February 1875.It is a fee-levying private school, with over 2000 students at all grades from Kindergarten to Grade 14. The current principal is Mrs...
by the 1930s. By 1952, Sri Lankan clubs were playing Indian club sides. By 1952, Sri Lankan clubs were playing Indian club sides. In 1956, Sri Lanka played its first international match against Australia's national team in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
took part in the 1960 netball meeting of Commonwealth countries to try to standardise the rules for the game. This meeting took place in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. In 1972, the Netball Federation of Sri Lanka was created. In 1983, Netball Federation of Sri Lanka was dissolved by the government. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
had a national team compete in the fifth Asian Netball Championship held in Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
, Sri Lanka in 2001. Sri Lanka competed in the 7th Asian Youth Netball Championship held in 2010 in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number fifteen in the world.