Paul's a Netballer!

Our local bartender invited me to play a weird sport called Net ball the other day. What is netball you may ask? Well, it’s a lot like basketball. It is played on a court that has similar dimensions to a basketball court. There is a goal at either end that resembles a normal basketball hoop yet without the backboard. This hoop is about the same height as an American basketball goal yet the diameter of the rim is smaller. The netball is larger than a volleyball, but smaller than a basketball. It’s probably the size of a womens basketball only a little lighter.

The way to score points is the same as in basketball. There is very little contact allowed. If there is too much contact then a foul is called. You are not allowed to dribble the net ball and you are only allowed to take two steps. If you bobble it as your catching it and the ball hits the ground then it’s the other team’s ball. There are 6 players on each team. Two on defense (who aren’t allowed over onto their offensive half of the court), two offensive players (who are not allowed on their defensive half of the court), and two “centers” (who are allowed on both halves of the court but are not allowed to penetrate past a roughly 15 foot diameter semi-circle around each goal).

The other cool and different thing is that once you have the ball the other team isn’t allowed within (roughly) a three foot radius from you. That means that most shots to the hoop have to be uncontested. Uncontested! It’s literally like shooting fish in a barrel! -Paul



FYI-for more info on Netball, see www.netball.org, where I got these pics.-Jen