How Is Netball Scored?
How goals are scored in netball, who is allowed to shoot, and how the winner of a match is decided.
A goal is worth one point and can only be scored by the Goal Shooter or Goal Attack, shooting from inside their attacking goal circle. Whichever team scores more goals over the match wins.
Scoring in netball is simple in principle, but a few restrictions shape how teams actually go about it.
One goal, one point
Every successful shot through the goal ring is worth one point — there's no equivalent of a three-point shot or bonus scoring. The team with the most goals when the match ends wins.
Only two positions can score
Goals can only be shot by the Goal Shooter (GS) and Goal Attack (GA). No other position — including the Wing Attack, who feeds the circle but can't enter it — is allowed to shoot, even if they somehow found themselves inside the goal circle.
Shots must be taken from inside the circle
A shot only counts if the shooter's feet are grounded inside the attacking goal circle at the point the ball is released, or the shooter is airborne having jumped from within it. Step outside the circle and shoot, and the goal won't count even if the ball goes in.
Rebounds
If a shot is missed and the ball stays in play, any player legally positioned in the goal circle — attacking or defending — can catch or contest the rebound. An attacking rebound can lead directly to another shot.
Draws and extra time
Group and pool matches can end in a draw. In finals or knockout matches where a winner is required, competitions typically use extra time — short additional periods played until one team is ahead — with the exact format set by the competition rather than the core Rules of Netball. Check the specific competition's rules for its extra-time format.
Where scoring fits into the bigger picture
Because only two positions can shoot, a huge amount of netball tactics is about getting the ball to the GS or GA in a strong position — see circle feeding tactics — and, on the other side of the ball, stopping them getting it. Understanding who can score is the key that unlocks why the other five positions play the way they do.