Sport England’s latest Active Lives Adult Survey published yesterday has shown that netball participation continues to grow, with record numbers of adults now participating in the sport both weekly and fortnightly.
The Active Lives Adult Survey, conducted by Sport England, is the most comprehensive snapshot of activity levels among adults aged 16 and over in England. The headline news for netball following the latest publication of the survey is that among continued growth in participation of the sport at all three frequencies (annually, fortnightly and weekly), record numbers of adults are now playing both weekly and fortnightly with participation at these two frequencies the highest we have ever seen.
Netball also returns to being the third most popular team sport overall when both adult male and adult female participation is combined, sitting behind only male and female participation in football combined and male and female participation in cricket combined.
The survey shows record numbers of adults are now taking part in sport and physical activity, with a total of 3.4 million adults playing team sports every two weeks. Yet among this growth, netball is the only team sport to have seen a significant increase, with the survey revealing 64,900 more people participating in netball fortnightly from November 2023-24 compared to the year prior.
This continued growth in the popularity of the sport comes during an exciting time for the domestic and international game. Following a historic silver medal at the 2023 Netball World Cup, the 2024-25 international window saw the Vitality Roses beat the current world number one Australia in Australia for only the third time ever, win the Taini Jamison Trophy against world number two New Zealand for only the second time ever, and lift the Vitality Netball Nations Cup for the first time. Meanwhile, the sport has embarked on a journey to professionalisation with the domestic league, the Netball Super League (NSL), which has seen more games played in major arenas, an increase in player salaries and the introduction of a host of new rules and innovations, with the Grand Final set to be played at The O2 arena on 6 July.
Katy Ryan, Director of Development at England Netball said: “We’re delighted to see that netball participation continues to grow, and particularly that more people than ever before are playing netball both weekly and fortnightly. Thank you to those who so tirelessly give up their time to make the sport happen. To every person that turns up on a Monday night to officiate at a local league, who wakes up early on a Sunday morning to run junior coaching sessions, who so meticulously organises league fixtures so that the most competitive game is played at the end of the season, this is your success.
“As part of our Adventure Strategy, England Netball are committed to supporting girls and women at every life stage, on and beyond the court. Whether through being part of a club or team, or taking part in our range of programmes, including Bee Netball, Back to Netball and Walking Netball, we work hard to ensure there are growing opportunities to take part in our sport.
“This success also demonstrates the importance of our Vitality Roses and Netball Super League athletes in continuing to inspire grassroots participation across the country. We know when netball is on a front cover or there is greater TV coverage, more people are inspired to take to court.
“As we look ahead to another incredibly exciting few years for our sport, a continued focus on growing netball in schools, the NSL’s journey towards professionalisation and the upcoming Commonwealth Games in 2026 and Netball World Cup in 2027, we hope that more people continue to get active through playing our wonderful sport and experiencing all the physical, mental and social benefits that it can bring.”
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