Sports Recommendation

Sports Recommendation – Netball

Netball is also known as women’s basketball and is a fast-paced sport that requires a high level of skill. This sport emerged in the 1890s in the United Kingdom and was created by modifying the rules of basketball for aristocratic women. As there was less physical contact than basketball, it was extremely suitable for women to play, and so it gradually became a sport for women.

Court and equipment
~ Court

The netball court is a rectangle that is 30.5 m long.15.25 m wide, and is divided lengthwise into thirds. There is a circle at the middle of the centre third with a diameter of 0.9 m. This is called the centre circle. At the middle of the backline on both ends of the court is a 3.05 m high goal post which has a goal ring that is 380 mm in diameter.

Standard layout of the netball court

~ Clothing and equipment

Netball clothing: Each player wears the abbreviation of the English word of their position (width height not exceeding 150 mm) on their chest and back.

This is usually done by sticking a square with the abbreviation on it to the clothing with Velcro or by giving the players a vest to put on.

Netball: The ball is usually made of leather or rubber. It has a circumference of 69 to 71 cm and a weight of approximately 400 - 450g, so it is similar to a football.

~ Rules

The scoring method of netball is roughly the same as basketball – the ball has to be thrown into the ring to score a goal. However, the rules of the two games are quite different. The rules of netball are as follows:

• Match time: A netball game is usually divided into four parts, each lasting 15 minutes. There is a rest period of four minutes between the 1st and 2nd part and between the 3rd and 4th part; while the rest period between the 2nd and 3rd part is eight minutes.
• Number of players: Each team sends seven players onto the court and each player has a different position. These are Goal Shooter (GS), Goal Attack (GA), Wing Attack (WA), Centre (C), Wing Defence (WD), Goal Defence (GD) and Goal Keeper (GK). During the match, the players can only move around in the part of the field that their position is allowed to move in. Regardless of whether they have the ball or not, players cannot leave their respective areas.
• Match method: At the start of the match, one of the teams will serve from the centre circle. The players with control of the ball will aim to approach the goal ring and throw the ball into the ring by running, jumping, and passing and catching the ball. The players from the other team will use defensive strategies to prevent the attacking side from scoring and to try to take control of the ball. The ball will have to be served again after each goal is scored, and the two teams take turns serving. The team with the higher final score wins.
• Special rules: When defending against a shot, defending players must stay at least 0.9 m away from the players on offense, and the ball handler must complete a shot or pass within three seconds.

Player deployment of a team in a netball match

~ Development of Netball in Hong Kong

Netball has always been popular in the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Jamaica. Netball is one of the less well-known sports in Hong Kong when compared to other sports that expatriates are more likely to play such as rugby or cricket. Under the active promotion of the Hong Kong Netball Association, competitions are organised for students of tertiary institutions and secondary schools every year. At the same time, in addition to organising netball competitions for women, the Hong Kong Netball Association also organises men’s competitions and mixed competitions. The Hong Kong Netball Association was established in 1979 for the purpose of promoting netball in Hong Kong. It mainly organises and supports local competitions and training, and also arranges netball workshops for beginners to teach more people how to play netball. Some of the LCSD’s free outdoor courts also have netball courts for citizens to use.

If you are interested in netball, please visit the Hong Kong Netball Association’s website:
http://www.netball.org.hk

You can also click the link below to view information of the LCSD’s netball courts:
http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/tc/facilities/facilitieslist/districts.php?ftid=29&fcid=8