Who Can Shoot in Netball?
Which netball positions are allowed to shoot: why only Goal Shooter and Goal Attack can score, and why every other position can't.
Only Goal Shooter (GS) and Goal Attack (GA) can shoot in netball, and only from inside the attacking goal circle — no other position, on either team, is ever allowed to take a shot.
This is one of the most common questions from anyone new to netball — and the answer is the same regardless of which specific position you're asking about.
The short answer
Only two of the seven positions can shoot: Goal Shooter (GS) and Goal Attack (GA). Every other position — Wing Attack, Centre, Wing Defence, Goal Defence and Goal Keeper — is never allowed to shoot, even if they somehow found themselves legally inside the attacking circle.
Why just these two
The rules say a goal is scored when the ball passes over and completely through the ring from a shot by the Goal Shooter or Goal Attack, taken from anywhere inside the goal circle — the circle's lines count as inside (Rule 9). Only four players ever enter that circle: the attacking GS and GA, and the defending Goal Keeper and Goal Defence, for whom it's their defending circle. Defenders can be in it, but only GS and GA can shoot.
The shooter must have no contact with the ground outside the circle, including while catching the ball, and must shoot within three seconds (see held ball). From a penalty pass in the circle, GS or GA may pass or shoot; from a free pass, nobody may shoot.
Can Wing Attack shoot?
No. Wing Attack can feed the ball right up to the edge of the circle but is never permitted to enter it, so it can never take a shot, regardless of how open it might be.
Can Centre shoot?
No. Centre covers every third of the court but is excluded from both goal circles entirely.
Can defenders shoot?
No. Goal Keeper, Goal Defence and Wing Defence are defensive positions restricted to the defensive end of the court — the defensive third and, for Goal Defence and Wing Defence, the centre third. Goal Keeper and Goal Defence may enter their defending circle, but not the circle at the other end, and the rules only count shots by GS and GA.
What GS and GA do differently
Although both can shoot, they're not identical: Goal Shooter is restricted purely to the attacking third and circle, while Goal Attack also covers the centre third and splits time between shooting and feeding the circle.
Where to go next
See how is netball scored? for how a shot actually counts, and the goal circle for the rule that defines who can enter it in the first place.
Sources
All information on this page is given to the best of our knowledge at the time of writing (October 2026), after referring to the official sources below.
- World Netball: Rules of Netball, 2024 edition — Rule 3 (playing areas), Rule 6 (sanctions) and Rule 9 (scoring a goal).