Netball in Africa
Encyclopedia
Netball
is a popular women's sport in parts of Africa. Several African nations are ranked amongst the top twenty-five in the world. As of January 2011, South Africa was ranked number six, Malawi was ranked number seven, Tanzania was ranked twenty-one, Namibia
's women's national team was ranked twenty-fourth and the Lesotho
women's national team was ranked number twenty-five in the world.
. While participation rates are high, there is no sense of collective identity by players as netballers and being part of a national netball community. In 2002, 40% of African girls rated netball as their favourite sport and 19% of coloured girls liked netball best. Many African girls claimed netball as their favourite sport even if they had never played it.
The history of South Africa's netball involvement mirrors that of other sports played in the country such as rugby union
. South Africa was involved with the international netball community early in the sport's history, taking part in the 1960 meeting of Commonwealth countries in Sri Lanka
to standardise the rules for the game. South Africa's international involvement was suspended because of apartheid era policies. In 1969, South Africa was expelled from competing internationally in netball. Other countries turned down tours to South Africa. Some countries, including England and New Zealand, continued to occasionally compete against South Africa, which led to their national players also being banned from international competitions. When they rejoined the community in the 1990s, internal racial tensions continued to plague the sport on the local level.
In 1994, the national team had their first international tour after a 20-year absence from international competition. The success of the South African Springboks in the 1995 Rugby World Cup
had a positive impact on support for other South African national teams at international competitions, including the nation's appearance at the 1995 Netball World Championships
. South Africa provided a major upset when they beat New Zealand in pool play during the tournament, with South Africa finishing second behind Australia. In 1995, the South African Police Service
(SAPS) held its first National Netball Championships in Pretoria
. The development of SAPS netball was not taken seriously until 1999 when they affiliated to Netball South Africa as an associated member. The Southern African Development Community
has a sport competition with over 600 correctional officers from member countries participating. The 2000 national championships were held in Cape Town. In 2000, New Zealand's national side toured South Africa for the first time. The two countries played three test matches and New Zealand won them all. In 2001, a Tri-Nations Series was launched between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, which was also won by New Zealand.
. Girls are introduced into the game at primary schools, as part of the school curriculum. Men have traditionally served as officials, coaches and administrators for the sport. They also had their own teams. This started to change in the 2000s, with men only teams having been discontinued in favour of mixed gendered teams. The Botswana Netball Association is the national organisation responsible for netball in Botswana. It was founded in the 1970s. It is a member of IFNA and COSANA. Botswana has 30 local graded umpires and 22 locally trained coaches who have been certified by Netball South Africa. Botswana competed in the annual Confederation of Southern African Netball Associations (COSANA) tournament in 2008. Spar – “Good for You” Netball League is the most important national netball competition in Botswana. Naming rights for the league were given to Sar in 2010. The league is divided into two divisions, north and south. Games for the 2010 season began on 22 May. The league championships were held on 27 November 2010 at the BONA Courts in Gaborone
. As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number eighteen in the world.
. The Malawi word for netball is Nchembre mbaye, where Nchembre means "mother". This name links the sport to women and those who are responsible for taking care of their families. Malawi's national team is called the Queens. In 1992, the ADMARC Tigresses won the Southern African Netball Associations trophy. A Malawian player was also named the best player in that tournament. In April 2008, Lesotho hosted the Malawi Under-21 national netball team. The match was part of the annual Confederation of Southern African Netball Associations (COSANA) tournament. In 2011, high-profile national player Mary Waya
retired from the national team to take up a position as national U20 coach. That year, goal shooter Mwawi Kumwenda received a scholarship to play in the Victorian Netball League in Australia, becoming Malawi's first netball export player. As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number seven in the world.
. The sport was introduced to the country after World War I
, when the country was under British
colonial rule. The sport was intended for leisure and first played in schools. For this reason, almost all primary schools in the country have a court. Recruitment for the national team and other high level teams started at that level. The Netball Association of Tanzania (CHANETA) was created in 1966. Women have historically dominated in leadership positions in CHANETA but men are still involved, especially in roles like coaching. During the 1970s and 1980s, there was a push by the International Olympic Committee
and the British Council
to promote sport and women's sport in Tanzania. Despite netball being the most popular women's sport at the time, no investment was made into the sport. Netball's popularity declined during the 1990s as a result of economic liberalisation. Courts were not maintained, leagues were closed and there were fewer competitions. Attempts to raise netball's popularity in the country again have been hampered by the fact that sport is culturally more acceptable for men. Top level teams in the country, prior to the 1990s, have included Tanzania Harbour Authority, and Tanzania Postal and Telecommunication. Tanzania's national team is called the Taifa Queens. In their opening match in the NTUC Fairprice Foundation Nations Cup 2010, against Singapore, they won 52–36. Mwanaidi Hassan was the team's star player in the tournament. Some of the top performances for the Tanzania national netball team include third place at the 2010 Nations Cup. As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number twenty-one in the world.
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. 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 ...
is a popular women's sport in parts of Africa. Several African nations are ranked amongst the top twenty-five in the world. As of January 2011, South Africa was ranked number six, Malawi was ranked number seven, Tanzania was ranked twenty-one, Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
's women's national team was ranked twenty-fourth and the Lesotho
Lesotho
Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
women's national team was ranked number twenty-five in the world.
South Africa
Netball is one of the most popular women's participation sports in South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. While participation rates are high, there is no sense of collective identity by players as netballers and being part of a national netball community. In 2002, 40% of African girls rated netball as their favourite sport and 19% of coloured girls liked netball best. Many African girls claimed netball as their favourite sport even if they had never played it.
The history of South Africa's netball involvement mirrors that of other sports played in the country such as rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
. South Africa was involved with the international netball community early in the sport's history, taking part in the 1960 meeting of Commonwealth countries 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...
to standardise the rules for the game. South Africa's international involvement was suspended because of apartheid era policies. In 1969, South Africa was expelled from competing internationally in netball. Other countries turned down tours to South Africa. Some countries, including England and New Zealand, continued to occasionally compete against South Africa, which led to their national players also being banned from international competitions. When they rejoined the community in the 1990s, internal racial tensions continued to plague the sport on the local level.
In 1994, the national team had their first international tour after a 20-year absence from international competition. The success of the South African Springboks in the 1995 Rugby World Cup
1995 Rugby World Cup
The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country....
had a positive impact on support for other South African national teams at international competitions, including the nation's appearance at the 1995 Netball World Championships
1995 Netball World Championships
The 1995 World Netball Championships was the ninth staging of the World Netball Championships, the premier tournament in international netball, held every four years. The 1995 tournament was held in Birmingham, England and was contested by a record 27 teams. Among them were the South African team,...
. South Africa provided a major upset when they beat New Zealand in pool play during the tournament, with South Africa finishing second behind Australia. In 1995, the South African Police Service
South African Police Service
The South African Police Service is the national police force of the Republic of South Africa. Its 1116 police stations in South Africa are divided according to the provincial borders, and a Provincial Commissioner is appointed in each province...
(SAPS) held its first National Netball Championships in Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
. The development of SAPS netball was not taken seriously until 1999 when they affiliated to Netball South Africa as an associated member. The Southern African Development Community
Southern African Development Community
The Southern African Development Community is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Its goal is to further socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and security cooperation among 15 southern African states...
has a sport competition with over 600 correctional officers from member countries participating. The 2000 national championships were held in Cape Town. In 2000, New Zealand's national side toured South Africa for the first time. The two countries played three test matches and New Zealand won them all. In 2001, a Tri-Nations Series was launched between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, which was also won by New Zealand.
Botswana
Netball is primarily played by women in BotswanaBotswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
. Girls are introduced into the game at primary schools, as part of the school curriculum. Men have traditionally served as officials, coaches and administrators for the sport. They also had their own teams. This started to change in the 2000s, with men only teams having been discontinued in favour of mixed gendered teams. The Botswana Netball Association is the national organisation responsible for netball in Botswana. It was founded in the 1970s. It is a member of IFNA and COSANA. Botswana has 30 local graded umpires and 22 locally trained coaches who have been certified by Netball South Africa. Botswana competed in the annual Confederation of Southern African Netball Associations (COSANA) tournament in 2008. Spar – “Good for You” Netball League is the most important national netball competition in Botswana. Naming rights for the league were given to Sar in 2010. The league is divided into two divisions, north and south. Games for the 2010 season began on 22 May. The league championships were held on 27 November 2010 at the BONA Courts in Gaborone
Gaborone
' is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 191,776 based on a 2006 survey, about 10% of the total population of Botswana....
. As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number eighteen in the world.
Malawi
Netball is the most popular women's sport in MalawiMalawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
. The Malawi word for netball is Nchembre mbaye, where Nchembre means "mother". This name links the sport to women and those who are responsible for taking care of their families. Malawi's national team is called the Queens. In 1992, the ADMARC Tigresses won the Southern African Netball Associations trophy. A Malawian player was also named the best player in that tournament. In April 2008, Lesotho hosted the Malawi Under-21 national netball team. The match was part of the annual Confederation of Southern African Netball Associations (COSANA) tournament. In 2011, high-profile national player Mary Waya
Mary Waya
Mary Waya is a Malawian netball player and coach. Waya started playing international-level netball at age 14, and has played in more than 200 representative matches for Malawi...
retired from the national team to take up a position as national U20 coach. That year, goal shooter Mwawi Kumwenda received a scholarship to play in the Victorian Netball League in Australia, becoming Malawi's first netball export player. As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number seven in the world.
Tanzania
Netball was one of the most popular sports in TanzaniaTanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. The sport was introduced to the country after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, when the country was under British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
colonial rule. The sport was intended for leisure and first played in schools. For this reason, almost all primary schools in the country have a court. Recruitment for the national team and other high level teams started at that level. The Netball Association of Tanzania (CHANETA) was created in 1966. Women have historically dominated in leadership positions in CHANETA but men are still involved, especially in roles like coaching. During the 1970s and 1980s, there was a push by the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
and the British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
to promote sport and women's sport in Tanzania. Despite netball being the most popular women's sport at the time, no investment was made into the sport. Netball's popularity declined during the 1990s as a result of economic liberalisation. Courts were not maintained, leagues were closed and there were fewer competitions. Attempts to raise netball's popularity in the country again have been hampered by the fact that sport is culturally more acceptable for men. Top level teams in the country, prior to the 1990s, have included Tanzania Harbour Authority, and Tanzania Postal and Telecommunication. Tanzania's national team is called the Taifa Queens. In their opening match in the NTUC Fairprice Foundation Nations Cup 2010, against Singapore, they won 52–36. Mwanaidi Hassan was the team's star player in the tournament. Some of the top performances for the Tanzania national netball team include third place at the 2010 Nations Cup. As of January 2011, the women's national team was ranked number twenty-one in the world.