‘To quick-witted girls it’s a real game for go-getting goal-getting’: the All England Netball Association and the development of women’s sporting identities

Oldfield, SJ (2018) ‘To quick-witted girls it’s a real game for go-getting goal-getting’: the All England Netball Association and the development of women’s sporting identities. In: Sporting Traditions XXI: The Business of Sport, 03 July 2017 - 06 July 2017, Sydney, Australia. (Unpublished)

Preview

Available under License In Copyright. Download (552kB) | Preview

Abstract

When the Australian netball team agreed to tour England in 1956, new understanding of, and recognition for, the game was established. Organised by a select group of English women, who were instrumental in the formation and diffusion of netball’s values, these competitions provided the catalyst for the development of an international profile for the sport. Whilst histories of netball have been conducted on the leading nations, including Australia and New Zealand, England’s netballing history still lacks acknowledgment within both the public and academic sphere. Founded in 1926, the All England Women’s Net Ball Association provided governance for the sport, which was popularised in women’s physical education and speciality training colleges throughout England. This paper aims to detail the early history of netball through examination of its governing body, considering the individuals involved and their impact on the development of the sport’s national, and subsequent international, profile throughout the twentieth century.