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What equipment do I need for netball?

File Photo Credit: VOXSPORTS for SportSG

netball equipment

 

By Valerie Wong

 

You may have seen groups of girls happily tossing around a netball on court and wondered to yourself what it was like playing netball too. But since netball is not a mainstream sport in Singapore, you probably had no idea where to start or what was required.

Netball is actually quite straight forward to get into and its also a very fun social sport. It requires 7 players in each team, and the mechanics are actually a bit more similar to basketball, where it was derived from. At its core, netball is a sport that offers players a fun way to destress and stay fit.

In this article we take a look at the netball equipment and gear required for the game of netball.

 

1. Goal Posts

A vertical goal post stands 3.05m tall and is placed at the midpoint of each goal line. Unlike the one used in basketball, this goalpost has no backboard. It only has a metal ring with an internal diameter of 38cm, from which the net hangs, protruding outwards from the top of the post. The shooters of the team are required to shoot the ball through the rim to score a goal. 

Because of the lack of a backboard, this is actually not as easy as it looks. Some of these goal posts are padded with sponges to reduce the risk of injuries occurring should a player knock into one.

Photo: Sport Singapore

2. Ball

The next equipment needed for play is of course, the netball itself. It has a circumference ranging from 69-71 cm and a weight ranging 0.4-0.45 kg. The netball is striped, with the new colour combination being orange, white and blue. 

One of the most prominent netball brands in Singapore is Molten, and these netballs can be bought from places such as Queensway Shopping Centre or most sports shops around Singapore. The weight of the netball allows it to be easily passed around without too much pressure on a player 's body, thus minimising the chance of injury.

 

3. Player Attire

In a competitive setting, members of teams are dressed in uniformed sports attire, which can be either jerseys paired with a bottom or simply a dress. They both allow for fluid movement. Each member dons a bib during game time to indicate their playing positions. The bibs come in a set of 7, which are the number of positions that a netball team has on court at any one time. 

During play, the bib has to be worn at all times to avoid confusion of the positions. Most importantly, one must choose the right pair of court/netball shoes. Do not simply use any pair of canvas shoes. Having a suitable pair of shoes will allow for smooth movement and provide utmost comfort and support during game play. Wearing the wrong shoes may cause one to accidentally injure themselves or cause blisters to form around your foot.

 

4. Additional support gear
 
Players may also choose to wear knee or ankle guards for greater stability or to prevent sustaining or worsening injuries. Players may opt to use Kinesio tape to treat their sports injuries or for any of the other functions guards offer. Some popular brands include KT tape and Rock tape, which are widely available in sports shops, pharmacies and sports medical clinics.

Now that you know what's required, its time to learn about how to improve your game. The more you play, the better you will get and the more tricks and strategies you can employ during the game. 

In our next article we will look at how to be a good defender. 



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