By Burnett Munthali
As of November 2022, Malawi Netball Team, the Queens was sixth on the World Netball Rankings. This is quite good and encouraging. That’s the only reason I follow and support this team because they know what they are doing.
Other teams in the country, do not exist and will not exist in my mind because they don’t understand the game they play. Unfortunately, almost everyone is busy blaming the wrong people in the game of football.
However, the focus is on Netball, so let’s talk about the game of Netball today.
The reigning Netball World Champions are New Zealand, who defeated arch-rivals Australia in the 2019 final.
Netball has the highest participation rate of any team sport—male or female—in Australia, but it is not a large spectator following. In 2005 and 2006, netball was the 10th most popular spectator sport for women after tennis.
Goal defence (GD) – this position deals with preventing the opposition from passing the ball into the goal circle. The goal defence is only allowed in the bottom two thirds of their court and the goal circle.
The Goal Keeper’s (GK) primary function is to guard the goal circle, defend the opposing shooters and prevent them from scoring goals. She is also responsible for taking throw-ins at the base line.
Netball was first played in England in 1895 at Madame Ostenburg’s College. In the first half of the 20th century, Netball’s popularity continued to grow, with the game being played in many British Commonwealth countries.
Netball had a different name in the beginning. Women’s basketball, as netball was originally known, emerged as an identifiable sport in the late 1890s when the rules of dribbling were omitted, and the inaugural “rules for women’s basketball” were established.
Not many African countries qualify for Netball World Cup. Of those seven, only four African countries are playing in the 2023 edition: Malawi, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. All four qualifying countries are currently ranked within the top 20 netball teams globally.
Thirteenth-placed Zimbabwe has been drawn alongside Australia, Tonga and Fiji in Group A.
Netball is popular in UK. In England, netball has been popular enough to be included as part of the physical education curriculum.
Its inclusion had been at times controversial; during the 1910s and 1920s, schools worried about the potential negative impact of physical exercise like netball participation on the health of girls.
There are many reasons why netball is the best. Netball involves lots of jumping, landing, changing of direction and footwork, along with executing precise skills, which helps with strength and agility, says Alanna. All that jumping, stopping and landing not only builds muscle but makes bones stronger, too.
