Netball Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...

in Wales is organised by the

Welsh Netball Association Wales Netball ( cy, Pêl-rwyd Cymru), formally registered as the Wales Netball Association ( cy, Cymdeithas Pêl-rwyd Cymru), is the national governing body for netball in Wales and was founded in 1945. Wales Netball is responsible for national ...

. Copies of the rule book were sold in Wales by 1903. Marion Morton was involved with early organising of the game in Wales. Between 1949 and 1976, the Wales national team lost to England on twenty-eight occasions.

Governance

The

(Cymdeithas Pêl Rwyd Cymru) was created in 1945. The WNA is responsible for national championships, Welsh squad selection, international matches, the training and development of players, coaches and umpires and for the

Sport Wales National Centre The Sport Wales National Centre ( cy, Canolfan Genedlaethol Chwaraeon Cymru) is a sports facility in Cardiff, Wales, set up to assist the development of elite athletes in Wales. The Centre, owned and operated by Sport Wales, was established by ...

Netball Academy,

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

. The Welsh Netball Association is based in

Pontcanna Pontcanna () is a district and community in the city of Cardiff, Wales. It is located a short distance to the west of the city centre, and its borders are approximately indicated by Western Avenue, the River Taff, Cowbridge Road East, Llandaff R ...

, Cardiff.

History

In the period between 1902 and 1925, copies of the netball rule book published by the Ling Association of England were sold in Wales. Marion Morton was involved in organizing netball in South Wales during the late 1930s. She was based out of the

Mary Datchelor School Mary Datchelor School was an endowed grammar school for girls on Camberwell Grove in Camberwell, Greater London, England. It was established in 1877 and closed in 1981. It was known for its innovations in encouraging teacher training, and for it ...

. Marion Morton helped work towards the formation of the Welsh Netball Association. During and preceding the 1970s, most of the world, outside of New Zealand and Australia, played a one handed variety of netball. This allowed a more fluid type of game, with longer passes designed to open up the court. Like other national associations, the Welsh have created a modified version of the game for children called 'Dragon Netball'. It is geared for seven- to eleven-year-olds. Male participation in netball in Wales has been increasing in the past several years.

National team

Wales's record against England in international matched between 1949 and 1976 was zero wins and twenty-eight losses. In 1949, England played its first real international matches against Scotland and Wales. Wales played England on 7 May at the GEG Grounds. Wales lost by a score of 25–3. In 1951, Wales again played England, this time at Cardiff. The Welsh lost 26–7. In 1955, there was a United Kingdom netball championship held in Harringay Arena. Several thousand people attended the event. Wales lost their game against England. The series is notable because the games were played indoors for the first time. In 1973, the International Schools' Tournament was held for the first time. Wales again lost to England. In 2011, the Welsh national team was ranked 9th.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{Netball in Europe