History of Netball
How netball developed from 1890s England into a global sport: its spread through the British Empire, international governance, and growth as a major women's sport.
From its origins in a London physical training college in the 1890s, netball grew into one of the world's most-played women's team sports — though its growth has been shaped more by schools, colleges and national associations than by any single defining moment.
Early development in England
See who invented netball? for the detailed origin story — in short, the sport developed out of an adapted version of basketball at Martina Bergman-Österberg's physical training college through the 1890s, with the first codified rules of "net ball" published at the start of the twentieth century.
Spreading through the British Empire
Once codified, netball spread quickly through countries with strong British colonial and educational links — most significantly Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica and South Africa — largely carried by schools and women's physical education colleges, similar to how it had first taken hold in England.
Becoming an organised international sport
National associations formed through the early-to-mid twentieth century, including the All England Netball Association. In 1960, representatives met in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), to found an international governing body, originally named the International Federation of Women's Basketball and Netball Associations. As "netball" became the sport's settled name internationally, the organisation was renamed the International Federation of Netball Associations, then shortened that to the International Netball Federation in 2012, before rebranding again in 2021 as World Netball, its current name.
International competition
The first World Netball Championships — now known as the Netball World Cup — was held in Eastbourne, England, in 1963, with 11 nations competing. Netball later joined the Commonwealth Games programme for the first time at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Games.
A sport built mainly by and for women
Unlike many major team sports, netball developed specifically as a sport for women and girls, at a time when women's participation in sport more broadly was heavily restricted by social convention. That history still shapes the game today — it remains overwhelmingly played by women and girls, even as mixed and men's netball has grown in some countries.
Where to go next
See history of the Netball World Cup for more on international competition, and history of netball uniforms for how what players wear has changed alongside the sport itself.
Source
This overview draws on published netball history research, including Our Netball History and World Netball's history pages. See our sources page for more.