We know netballers from all levels of engagement love social netball. It’s a great chance to enjoy the game in a more casual and relaxed setting, while playing with friends or making new ones.
Research has also demonstrated there is a demand for a flexible participation option in our market.
In 2016 we completed research on unaffiliated competitions across South Australia, which showed that nearly 12,000 people participated in social netball competitions, across approximately 60 venues. The 2018 AusPlay survey results released earlier this year also showed the top three motivations for people in Australia to participate in netball were for social reasons (52%), fun and enjoyment (50%) and physical health and fitness (45%). It’s clear there is an appetite for social netball across the state as a chance to meet people, play and move!
Netball SA’s Stakeholder Relations Coordinator, Hanna Heptinstall, says Netball SA has long fielded enquiries regarding social netball, with many looking to us for guidance on how to set up their social netball programs.
“Netball SA often receives enquiries about what first steps to take when setting up social competitions including rules, promotion, insurance and financial structures. We want to create guidelines for our Associations and Clubs who want to start up a social netball competition and need help in creating competition rules, understanding insurance etc,” said Hanna.
The introduction of social netball into the Netball SA portfolio will help support our commitment to the netball community. This includes our commitment to fostering strong and vibrant clubs and associations that are at the heart of every community, and to provide quality competitions that deliver strong outcomes for all participants.
Hanna says the new offering will help Netball SA continue to support growth for Associations and Clubs.
“Due to the level of interest in netball in social environments, Associations and Clubs who deliver social netball competitions will be able to use these competitions as a tool for increasing their membership through the transition of social competitors into members of their clubs. For those who have no interest in playing anything other than social netball, this will still be creating another revenue stream for Associations and Clubs.”
Ultimately, Netball SA wants to help grow the game for all and make netball accessible to as many people of different backgrounds, ages, genders and skill levels as possible. Our recommended program will encourage Clubs and Associations to keep the game casual and easy, focussing on the opportunity to connect people to the sport in a lower investment format.
Our programs will be designed to promote mixed competitions (14+) and two ladies’ competitions (14+ and 35+, with the option for 35+ players to compete in either league).
We know that with a more relaxed format, Clubs and Associations can sometimes find it hard to get seven players on court, and therefore, we are also encouraging them to consider a ‘social 5’ offering for teams.
We aim to offer the program to the broader market by early 2020 and in the meantime will continue to field any enquiries we have from interested Clubs and Associations to get on board. We are particularly interested in those willing to implement a pilot program.
Register your interest in our pilot program
We are currently seeking interest from Associations or Clubs who would like to be involved in a test pilot program. To register your interest in the pilot program, interested parties are encouraged to connect with Netball SA Stakeholder Relations Coordinator, Hanna Heptinstall on hanna.heptinstall@netballsa.asn.au or via by phoning 8238 0520.
