12/02/2026
This is an interesting read!
Do you know the origins of netball?đ
Netball was the brainchild of Martina Bergman-Ăsterberg, a Swedish physical education instructor and womenâs suffrage advocate who lived and worked in Britain.
She modified the rules of basketball over several years at the college she worked at in Dartford, as a way of encouraging her female students to be active at a time when sport largely excluded them.
The first rules were published in the early 1900s and the sport spread throughout the British Empire, where domestic netball competitions arose.
From the 1920s, national associations were formed, including England Netball in 1926, and international matches followed.
Today, netball is played by millions of people worldwide.
For many women their earliest and most lasting memories of sport â and team sport in particular â are of school netball.
But netball didnât just provide the opportunity for women to be active: it was so much more than that...
It carved out space in the heavily male-dominated world of sport, a space where women and girls belonged.
Womenâs sport wouldnât be where it is today if it werenât for netball.
Happy centenary to our friends England Netball and thank you for all the incredible work you continue to do for women and girlsđ
â Did you/do you play netball? Weâd love to hear your stories!
đž Wheatley Hill History Club Netball Team 1948-49
