Developed in the late 19th century as a variation on basketball, netball is played all over the world, being particularly popular in Britain and areas formerly colonized by the country. While the sport has featured in the Commonwealth Games since 1998, it is not yet an Olympic sport. This is not due to lack of demand however, with a significant
. Nevertheless, a number of high-profile netball competitions do exist, such as the Netball World Cup. Australia has historically dominated this competition, winning more
than all other countries combined. Australia’s domestic netball league, Suncorp Super Netball (SSN), is also of a high standard, with a sizeable following - in 2024,
amounted to over 360,000. If netball successfully became an Olympic sport in the future, it would no doubt help this fan base to grow, as well as provide the sport with much-needed funding.
How much revenue does World Netball generate?
Based in Salford, England, World Netball (WN) is the sport’s global governing body, responsible for defining the rules of netball and organizing international competitions. In 2023, the
total revenue of World Netball rose significantly, reaching nearly 2.2 million British pounds – a near eightfold increase on the year before. However, a
breakdown of WN revenue reveals the main reason behind this - around 80 percent of WN’s 2023 revenue came from competitions, with the Netball World Cup taking place that year. Accordingly,
World Netball’s total expenditure for 2023 also rose, reaching over 1.1 million British pounds compared to around 990,000 British pounds in 2022.
How popular is netball in England?
As of 2023, the
number of adults participating in netball in England amounted to just under 281,000. Among these participants,
netball club membership was common, with nearly 63 percent of players aged 16 and above tied to a club. The sport is particularly popular at school age, and
netball’s participation rate among children in England stands at around 8.5 percent. Nevertheless, this level of participation has not yet led to major success on the international stage, with England having never won the Netball World Cup. With the 2026 Commonwealth Games finally being confirmed, England will look to improve its record – it currently ranks third in the
all-time medal table for netball at the Commonwealth Games.
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