While Australia is known for Rugby, the AFL and Cricket, it is less well known for Netball. This game is popular in many of the Commonwealth Nations and there are over 70 national teams in the International Federation of Netball Associations.

When I was in Australia, I was offered the opportunity to play a game in a Brisbane Netball rec league. I agreed because I was told that Netball is like “a women’s version of Basketball”, which I later learned refers to Mr. Naismith’s school developing a version of Basketball for its female students who couldn’t run around in their restrictive 1890s corsets.

Photo credit: click from morguefile.com

I am not an athlete, but I had played in a pick-up Basketball league all through high school. I had felt confident that I could manage a 60 minute game of Netball. This was incorrect.

Ways in which Netball and Basketball are the same:

1) The Basics: there is a ball and a court with lines on the ground and hoops on posts at both ends.

2) The Goal: get the ball through the hoop.

Photo credit: Annika from morguefile.com

Ways in which Netball and Basketball are not the same:

1) The Equipment: The ball was smaller, lighter and softer than a basketball. Also, there are no backboards on the hoops.

2) The Teams: There are 7 players per team instead of 5. Basketball has 3 positions: Center, Forward and Guard. Netball has 7: Goal Shooter, Goal Attack, Wing Attack, Center, Wing Defense, Goal Defense, and Goal Keeper.

3) The Rules: Based on how many whistles that were directed my way during the game, all of them. You can’t dribble the ball. You can’t move when you have the ball. You can’t hold the ball for more than 3 seconds. You can’t pass across an entire third of the court or more. You can’t leave your territory on the court (based on which position you play). You can’t wave your arms in front of someone unless you’re more than 1 metre away from them.

Unfortunately, no one thought of giving me a quick lesson on Netball rules before the game started. I had 7 whistles on me in the 1st quarter alone. The only reason that I wasn’t benched by my team is that we had zero substitute players available. It was decided in the 2nd quarter that I should probably just stand  and to try not to move too much.

We lost by 1 point at 21-20 in the last few minutes of the game.