Netball, explained from scratch
Whether you've never played, or you're a parent standing on the sideline of your first match wondering why the whistle keeps going — this is everything you need to follow the game.
Netball in sixty seconds
Six things and you'll understand most of what's happening on court.
Seven a side
Seven players each, in seven named positions. Younger age groups play smaller-sided versions of the same game.
Shoot into a ring
A ring 380mm (15in) across, with no backboard. Only two players in each team are allowed to shoot. The post is 3.05m (10ft) for Year 5 upwards, dropping to 9ft (2.74m) for Years 3 and 4 and 8ft (2.44m) for Years 1 and 2 — see the table further down.
No running with the ball
No dribbling, no running. Catch it, then pass or shoot within three seconds.
Stay in your areas
Each position is allowed in certain thirds of the court only. Stepping outside them is offside.
Four quarters
Teams swap ends each quarter, with a longer break at half time. Junior quarters are shorter.
Non-contact
No tackling and no contact. Defenders have to stay 0.9m (3ft) away from whoever has the ball.
Three thirds and two circles
A netball court is split into three equal thirds, with a shooting circle at each end. Almost every rule in netball comes back to where a player is allowed to be.
Only the Goal Shooter and Goal Attack may shoot, and only from inside a shooting circle. Teams swap ends every quarter, so the end you're attacking changes as the match goes on.
Measurements, for when someone asks
Every figure in both metric and imperial, because netball is spoken in one and written in the other. The first two panels are the full-size game; the table underneath is what each school year actually plays on.
The court and equipment
- Court
- 30.5m × 15.25m (100ft × 50ft)
- Thirds
- 10.17m (33ft 4in) each
- Shooting circle
- 4.9m (16ft) radius
- Centre circle
- 0.9m (3ft) across
- Goalpost height
- 3.05m (10ft)
- Ring
- 380mm (15in) across
- Ball
- Size 5
About the same length as three tennis courts side by side.
The court is divided into three equal thirds by two transverse lines.
A semicircle measured from the base of the goalpost. Only shots taken from inside it can score.
Where the Centre stands to take a centre pass.
Measured to the top of the ring, on a full-size post. There is no backboard — a netball ring is free-standing. Junior year groups play on lower posts; see the table below.
The ring projects 150mm (6in) out from the post, and the post sits on the goal line itself.
690–710mm (27–28in) around and 400–450g (14–16oz) — the standard adult netball. Younger year groups play with a size 4.
The rules with a number in them
- Defending distance
- 0.9m (3ft)
- Time on the ball
- 3 seconds
- Players on court
- 7 a side
Measured from the landing foot of the player with the ball. Any closer and it's obstruction — this is the one every player learns first.
From catching it to releasing the pass or shot.
Plus substitutes. Younger year groups play smaller-sided versions — five a side in High 5.
Posts and balls, by school year
Younger players shoot at a lower ring with a lighter ball, so the game is winnable from the start. These are the official heights and sizes for each year group.
| School year | Format | Post height | Ball size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 & 2 | High 5 | 8ft (2.44m) | Size 4 |
| Year 3 & 4 | High 5 | 9ft (2.74m) | Size 4 |
| Year 5 & 6 | 7-a-side | 10ft (3.05m) | Size 5 |
| Year 7 upwards | Standard netball | 10ft (3.05m) | Size 5 |
Not sure which applies to your child? Their coach will tell you — and you never need to buy a post, only ever a ball if you want one for the garden.
Who's allowed where
Every player wears their position on their dress. The shaded area on each court below is everywhere that player is allowed to go — and nowhere else.
Goal Shooter
Scores the goals. Works inside the shooting circle and almost never leaves it.
Watch for: Holding a space close to the post, then taking the shot once the ball arrives.
Goal Attack
The second shooter, and the link between the centre court and the circle.
Watch for: Popping in and out of the circle — feeding the Goal Shooter one moment, shooting the next.
Wing Attack
Feeds the shooters. Allowed in the attacking third but never inside the shooting circle.
Watch for: Driving hard to the circle edge to deliver the pass in — then getting straight back out.
Centre
The engine. The only player allowed in all three thirds, and the one who takes the centre pass.
Watch for: Covering the most ground of anyone on court, attacking one moment and defending the next.
Wing Defence
Marks the opposition's Wing Attack and tries to cut off the feed before it reaches the circle.
Watch for: Shadowing one particular opponent all over the centre third.
Goal Defence
Marks the Goal Attack, defends the circle and starts the counter-attack.
Watch for: Arms up over a shooter, then turning and driving the ball back up the court.
Goal Keeper
The last line. Marks the Goal Shooter and defends the post.
Watch for: Staying close to the shooter, hands up, competing for every rebound.
The ones that actually come up
You don't need the rulebook to enjoy a match. These are the rules behind almost every whistle you'll hear.
You can't run with the ball
There's no dribbling and no running. Once a player catches the ball, they have to pass it or shoot within three seconds — which is why netball looks so fast: the ball moves, not the player carrying it.
Footwork
The foot a player lands on becomes their landing foot, and it has to stay put. They can pivot on it and step with the other foot as much as they like, but the moment that landing foot moves or comes back down before the ball is released, the umpire calls footwork. It's the single most common call in junior netball, and nothing to worry about.
Three feet away
A defender has to stand at least 0.9 metres (three feet) from the landing foot of the player with the ball before they can defend it. Any closer with arms up and it's obstruction. This is why you'll hear coaches shouting about distance rather than about tackling — there's no tackling in netball.
No contact
No pushing, holding, leaning on or bumping into an opponent, whether they have the ball or not. Netball is a non-contact sport, and contact is penalised even when it's accidental.
Stay in your own areas
Every position is allowed in certain thirds of the court and no others — see the seven positions below. Stepping into an area you're not allowed in is offside, and it counts even if you don't have the ball. It's the rule newcomers find strangest, and the reason positions matter so much.
Only two players can shoot
Only the Goal Shooter and Goal Attack can score, and only from inside the shooting circle — the semicircle in front of the post. A goal from outside it doesn't count, no matter how good the shot.
The ball has to be touched in every third
The ball can't be thrown from the defending third all the way to the attacking third. Someone has to touch it in the middle third on the way. Throwing over a complete third is called over a third.
The centre pass alternates
After every goal, play restarts with a centre pass — and the two teams take it in turns, regardless of who scored. It has to be caught or touched inside the centre third.
Four quarters
Matches are played in four quarters with a break between each and a longer one at half time. Teams change ends every quarter. How long a quarter lasts depends on the age group — junior quarters are shorter than the senior game.
Penalties
There's no sin bin and no cards for ordinary infringements. The other team simply gets a free or penalty pass, and for contact or obstruction the player who gave it away has to stand out of play beside their opponent until the pass has been taken.
Exact rules vary a little by age group and league — quarter lengths, post heights and how many players are on court all change as players get older. Our coaches will always tell you what applies to your team, and the definitive rules of the game are published by England Netball, who we're affiliated to.
Children don't start with the full game
Younger players build up to 7-a-side netball through smaller, simpler versions designed to get everyone involved.
Bee Netball
England Netball's introduction to the game — skills, small games and lots of touches of the ball, rather than full 7-a-side matches. We run it at both hubs.
More about Bee NetballHigh 5
A five-a-side version with rotating positions, so every player gets a turn at shooting, at centre court and at defending.
7-a-side
The full game, in our league fixtures, with all seven positions and the rules on this page.
Your first matchday
What to expect, what to bring, and the one thing we ask of every G&W sideline.
What we expect of players, parents and spectators — on the sideline and off it — is set out in full in our Code of Conduct.
Arrive before the FCP time
The time we publish for a fixture is the First Centre Pass — the moment the match starts, not the moment to arrive. Your coach will tell you how early they want the squad there, usually 20–30 minutes before, for a warm-up and the team talk.
What to bring
Club dress or kit, trainers with good grip for indoor courts, a filled water bottle, and something warm for between quarters. Hair tied back, nails short, and all jewellery removed before the first whistle — that's a rule, not a preference, and umpires do check.
Everyone plays
Junior netball is about development, not just results. Coaches rotate positions and playing time deliberately, so a player who starts on the bench in one quarter will usually be on court in the next.
Umpires are often young too
Many umpires at junior level are teenagers, sometimes only a year or two older than the players. They will make mistakes, the same as the players do. The one thing we ask of every G&W parent is that the sideline never questions a call.
Support, don't coach
One voice from the sideline is what a child can follow — and that voice is the coach's. Cheering, clapping and encouragement are always welcome. Instructions, however well meant, leave a player trying to listen to two people at once.
Availability matters
Coaches pick squads from who has been marked available, so telling your coach early when your child can't make a fixture genuinely changes what they can plan. A late drop-out can leave a team short on the day.
Don't rush out and buy kit. Taster sessions and early training only need comfortable clothes and trainers. Once your child settles in, club dresses, t-shirts and hoodies are all in our online shop — along with a full size guide. There's also pre-loved kit passed on by other club families, which is completely free to take: once it's gone, it's gone.
The words you'll hear
Shouted from the sideline, called by the umpire, or written on your team's game sheet at the end of a match.
- FCP
- First Centre Pass — the moment the match actually starts. When we give an FCP time for a fixture, that's kick-off, so players need to be there and warmed up well before it.
- Centre pass
- The restart from the middle of the court after every goal, taken alternately by each team.
- Feed
- The pass into the shooting circle. A good feed is the hardest, most valuable pass in netball.
- Drive
- A hard, straight sprint to receive the ball — usually towards the passer.
- Dodge
- Moving one way to send a defender the wrong way, then going the other.
- Hold
- A shooter standing their ground in a space so the ball can be delivered to them.
- Circle edge
- The line of the shooting circle. Wing Attacks and Centres live on it — they can stand on the edge but not step inside.
- Turnover
- Winning the ball back from the other team.
- Interception
- Catching a pass meant for an opponent — the cleanest way to win the ball.
- Touch
- Getting a hand to the ball without catching it. It doesn't win possession, but it breaks up the other team's attack.
- Rebound
- Collecting the ball after a missed shot. Both teams compete for it.
- Contact
- Umpire call — pushing, holding or leaning on an opponent.
- Obstruction
- Umpire call — defending closer than 0.9m (3ft) from the player with the ball.
- Footwork
- Umpire call — moving the landing foot before releasing the ball.
- Offside
- Umpire call — entering a third of the court your position isn't allowed in.
- Held ball
- Umpire call — holding the ball for longer than three seconds.
- Breaking
- Umpire call — moving over the line at a centre pass before the whistle goes.
- Replay
- Umpire call — playing the ball twice, for example bouncing it to yourself and catching it again.
- Short pass
- Umpire call — the thrower and catcher were so close together that a third player couldn't have got between them.
- Over a third
- Umpire call — the ball crossed a complete third of the court without anyone touching it.
- Bye
- A scheduled weekend where your team has no match. It'll show as BYE on the fixtures list — training still runs as normal.
- Player of the Match
- Chosen after each game. Our teams pick one, and the coaches pick their own as well.
Questions new families ask
Does my child need to know how to play before joining?
No. A good number of our players arrive having never touched a netball, and every team has beginners in it. Coaches teach the game from the ground up. Two free taster sessions come first, so there's no commitment while you find out whether they enjoy it.
Is netball only for girls?
No. Boys are welcome to play with us from Reception right through to Year 6. From Year 7 our junior teams are girls' teams, and we also run mixed senior netball for adults — see the senior squads on our Our Teams page.
What do they need to wear to their first session?
Anything comfortable to move in and a pair of trainers with decent grip — most of our sessions are indoors. There's no need to buy club kit until you know they're staying. Bring a water bottle, tie hair back, and leave jewellery at home.
How is a position chosen for my child?
Coaches move players around deliberately, especially in the younger age groups — a child who plays Goal Keeper one week may be at Wing Attack the next. Trying every position is how players find the one that suits them, and it makes them better netballers along the way.
How long is a match?
Four quarters with breaks in between, and a longer break at half time. Quarter lengths are shorter for younger age groups, so a junior match usually takes about an hour including the warm-up and the team talk at the end.
Why does the umpire keep blowing the whistle?
Netball has more stoppages than most sports, and junior matches have more again — footwork and contact are the two most common calls, and both are a normal part of learning the game. The rules section above covers what each call means.
What if we can't make a fixture?
Tell your coach as early as you can. Squads are picked from who's marked available, so an early heads-up genuinely helps them plan — and it means a team isn't left short on the morning of a match.
Can I help out, even though I don't know the rules?
Absolutely, and plenty of our volunteers started exactly there. Clubs need scorers, timekeepers, drivers and organisers as much as they need coaches, and training is available for anyone who wants to go further. See volunteering with us.
The best way to learn netball is to play it
Every player starts with two free taster sessions alongside a team their own age. No kit needed, no commitment, and no experience expected.