History of Netball - Standardisation and The Global Game

Standardisation and The Global Game

Following the 1956 Australian tour of England, the first efforts were made in earnest to establish unifying international rules for netball. These efforts culminated in 1960 with representatives from key netball-playing countries – including England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka (then "Ceylon"), as well as the West Indies – agreeing on a regularised set of rules, with seven-a-side teams; an international body was also formed to govern the sport globally, called the International Federation of Women's Basketball and Netball (now the International Netball Federation). The sport was referred to as "netball" in most countries, although New Zealand and Australia still used the name "women's basketball"; both countries eventually adopted the name "netball" in 1970.

This meeting also resulted in the creation of a world tournament to be played every four years, now called the World Netball Championships. The inaugural tournament was played in Eastbourne, England in 1963, and tournaments have since been played quadrennially. Since their inception, Australia has dominated the World Championships, winning 10 of the 13 tournaments played. The most recent tournament was the 2011 Championships played in Singapore, with Australia emerging as winners. The next tournament is scheduled for 2015 in Australia.