By Holly Griffiths
Millions play it worldwide, so why is netball pushed out of the sporting spotlight?
Although netball has been around for generations, it is still viewed as an undervalued global sport, despite being played by more than 20 million people across 80 countries, according to World Netball. So why do so many young people seem to forget about netball as soon as they leave school?
As a young person, I’m aware of the media distribution of various topics, especially sports. Netball is pushed out the spotlight mainly because the media does not report it in the way it deserves. The way broadcasters distribute netball coverage simply doesn’t reflect the sport’s popularity. Public Service Broadcasters, such as the BBC, use their “sport” page to offer a small insight into recent sporting events. Netball only seems to cover some women’s international games, rather than offering the range of coverage seen in other sports. The webpage for basketball, by contrast, could be viewed as receiving far broader coverage, interestingly dedicating more space to men’s and women’s basketball as well as Paralympic basketball. And we wonder why netball seems to disappear after school! This is, of course, by no means restricted to the BBC, but a common reflection on the reporting of netball more broadly.
More recently, the Commonwealth Games, held in Glasgow, sparked concern that netball is not accessible to the public. However, it would be unfair to say that netball receives no coverage at all. Placing much of the live netball behind paid subscriptions on TNT Sports and HBO Max, however, makes it far less accessible than many other sports which are regularly shown on free-to-air television.
Netball, as of 2026, according to England Netball, is played by over 3 million people in the UK, with roughly 7.9% of participants aged 11–15. This suggests that netball itself is not overlooked but underrepresented by the media.
This lack of coverage extends beyond television — social media’s impact on the shadowing of netball has been significant. Instagram allows the public to distribute content about anything online, and videos of international netball are commonly used to mock the sport. Comments such as “vegan basketball” and “a rip-off version” are often used by people who have never played netball, drawing unflattering comparisons between the two games.
The lack of coverage also affects men’s netball, which is commonly out of the spotlight on social media despite there being 20,000 men playing across roughly 20 established clubs, according to the England Men’s and Mixed Netball Association. Research published on Taylor & Francis Online notes that men often feel deterred from playing netball because traditional sports outlets give most of their daily reporting space to more popular, stereotypically male games. This likely discourages participation, as fewer boys see role models taking up the sport. As a result, social media continues to represent netball as purely feminine — but can a sport really still be defined by gender?
The lack of media coverage is a cry for change. Younger people need to be inspired to play netball and see it represented alongside major sports, rather than being ignored by broadcasters. Netball is not unimportant nor unpopular — rather, it is a diverse sport that is overshadowed in the media. Broadcasters should commit to giving netball more regular coverage of both men’s and women’s games. Netball does not need to change; it just needs to be seen. If millions already play netball, what excuse is there for keeping it out of the spotlight?
