Netball in Australia
is the most popular women's team participation sport in Australia. In 1985, there were 347,000 players, and in 1995, there were over 360,000 Australian netball players. Throughout most of Australia's netball history, the game has largely been a participation sport; it has not managed to become a large spectator sport. In 2005 and 2006, 56,100 Australians attended one to two netball matches, of these, 41,600 were women. 46,200 attended three to five netball matches, with 34,400 of those spectators being women. 86,400 attended six or more netball matches, with 54,800 spectators being female. Overall, 188,800 people attended netball matches, with 130,800 being female. In 2005 and 2006, netball was the 10th most popular spectator sport for women with Australian rules football, horse racing, rugby league, motor sports, rugby union, football, harness racing, cricket and tennis all being more popular. 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 Super Dome game in 2004.
Netball, at the time called "women's basketball", was introduced to Australia reportedly as early as 1897, although most sources agree that it was established in that country around the start of the 20th century. Interstate competition began in 1924, with the All-Australia Women's Basketball Association formed in 1927. An All-Australian Tournament, later called the Australian National Championships, was first contested between states in 1928, when it was won by Victoria. 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 standardize the rules of the game. The sport's name "netball" became official in Australia in 1940.
In Australia 80% of all netball played is played at netball clubs. The number of Netball Clubs around Australia has been in decline since the 1940s. Between 1985 and 2003, only two Western Australian towns decreased the distance that Netball players had to travel in order to compete; these towns were Brookton and Pingelly. Prior to the creation of the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship in 2013, 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. After the 2016 ANZ Championship season, Netball Australia pulled out of that competition and established the Super Netball league as the country's new top league.
The Netball demographic profile is a 18 to 24 year old, unmarried, Australian-born, female who is employed full-time. The average Netball player in New South Wales has played the game for 10.8 years. Most New South Wales based school-aged Netball players play at school and with friends. Girls from non-English speaking backgrounds were more likely to play for fun than their English speaking counterparts, who often played for their school or parents. Non-English speaking girls were less likely to have mothers who played netball, 18.2%, compared to 35.2% for their English speaking counterparts. Most New South Wales based adult players played netball for fun, and for the physical benefits of the sport.
The country has hosted several major important international netball events including:
- The 1967, 1991 and 2015 World Netball Championships.
- The Netball Tournament at the 2006 and 2018 Commonwealth Games.
- The 2011 International Challenge Men's and Mixed Netball Tournament in Perth.
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.
Australian netball milestones
1920- First recorded interstate match, Sydney, Australia
- All Australia Women's Basket Ball Association formed
- First All-Australia Carnival held – in Victoria, Australia
- First AA Umpires Award – Anne Clark, and Elsie Ferres
- First International match
- More than 7,000 people watch Australia defeat England in London
- The International Federation established in August during a Conference in Colombo, Ceylon and agreement reached on the adoption of an international code of playing rules
- First World Tournament
- Australia become the first World Champions
- Australia runner-up to New Zealand at World Tournament
- The sports name changed from Basket Ball to Netball
- Australia wins World Tournament
- Australia wins Netball World Championship
- AA Club Carnival introduced
- First full-time salaried position, National Development Officer, appointed
- National office established in Martin Place, Sydney, Australia
- Australia equal first at World Tournament
- First Under Age National Championships
- First National Coaching Director appointed
- Netball becomes one of 8 foundation sports at the Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra, Australia
- 1st International Club Competition held in Hawaii
- A direct mail service – AANA Sports Trading – introduced
- National office relocates to Clarence Street, Sydney, Australia
- International Club Carnival the “Esso Gold” held on the Gold Coast Queensland and televised
- Australia World Champions
- Honorary National Treasurer appointed
- 1st Under 21 Australian Team selected
- National Executive Administrative Officer appointed
- Inaugural National Netball Carnival for Intellectually Disabled Players
- First officially published Annual Report of the AANA
- First National League competition – Esso Superleague
- Purchase of headquarters at Cowper Street, Harris Park in Sydney, Australia
- Incorporation of the Association
- Adoption of a Player Trust Fund Policy enables elite players to earn from the sport
- Finals Rounds introduced to Open/21s National Championships
- Australia equal second to New Zealand at World Tournament
- First World Youth Cup – in Canberra
m, Australia
- National Media Coordinator appointed
- Winners of the Esso Superleague receive the Prime Minister's Cup
- Australian Netball Touring Team visits China as part of Asian development
- Netball is a demonstration sport at Commonwealth Games in Auckland, New Zealand
- Australia hosts the World Championships in Sydney, Australia, and are victorious over New Zealand in the final
- Australia now part of IFNA's Asian region
- National Umpiring Director appointed
- Head Office relocated to Wentworth Street, Parramatta, Sydney, Australia
- Netball acknowledged as a “Recognized Sport” by the International Olympic Committee
- Introduction of a National Umpiring Badge
- Inaugural Australasian Regional Schools Championships
- Association Management Review carried out by Albany Consulting
- New structure approved – Nine Board Directors
- Australia retains World Championship crown
- Date of AGM altered to May
- National Netball League Company established
- Australia wins Netball World Youth Cup
- Inaugural year – Commonwealth Bank Trophy competition
- New Financial Year took effect for NA, following the calendar year: January to December
- Launch of Netball Australia Website
- The honorary position of National Liaison Officer is abolished
- Australia wins gold at Commonwealth Games
- The Australian 21U coach and AIS head coach positions become one
- First high-performance manager appointed
- Australia wins World Championships
- Hundreds of netball personnel are recipients of the Australian Sports Medal awarded by the Australian Government
- Australia wins Netball World Youth Cup
- National Netball League Party Limited Company is deregistered
- Head Office relocates to new premises in Marion Street, Harris Park, Sydney, Australia
- Australia retains Commonwealth Games title in Manchester
- Australia runners-up to New Zealand at World Championships
- World Record Crowd attends Australia v New Zealand Sydney Test
- Australia places third, behind England, and New Zealand at the World Youth Netball Championships
- Netball Australia launches the National Membership Administration System which links all clubs, Associations and Member Organisations with Netball Australia for the first time
- Australia wins silver at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. New Zealand wins gold.
- Commonwealth Bank Trophy celebrates its 10th season since its inception, in 1997
- Head Office relocates to new premises in King Street, Melbourne, Australia
- Australia wins the 2007 World Netball Championships held in Auckland, New Zealand
- Inaugural year of the ANZ Championship
- Establishment of the Australian Netball League, the country's second-tier feeder league
- National team becomes the "Australian Netball Diamonds”
- Australia wins the World Youth Netball Championships in the Cook Islands, beating New Zealand in the Final.
- Australia wins silver at the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games. New Zealand win gold.
- Sharelle McMahon honored by the Australian Commonwealth Games Association. She was chosen to lead the Australian team out as opening ceremony flag bearer at the Delhi Commonwealth Games.
- Australia wins the 2011 World Netball Championship held in Singapore, the 10th world title.
- Lisa Alexander takes over as Diamonds coach from Norma Plummer following the World Championships.
- Queensland Firebirds create history by completing the ANZ Championship season undefeated.
- Netball Australia moves head office into the new Netball HQ located in Fitzroy.
- Australia wins silver at the 2013 World Youth Netball Cup played in Glasgow, Scotland. New Zealand wins gold.
- Australia's Fast5 Netball World Series team rebranded as the `Fast5 Flyers’.
- Establishment of the new Super Netball competition, the country's new premier domestic netball league.
- Re-alignment of the Australian Netball League second-tier competition.