🏀 Netball, explained
A fast, no-dribble court game of seven a side where only two players may shoot, into a hoop with no backboard.
What am I watching?
Netball looks like basketball's precise, positional cousin. Two teams of seven play on a court divided into three zones (thirds), with a raised ring, no backboard, at each end. There is no dribbling and no running with the ball: the moment you catch it, your feet are governed by the footwork rule and you have 3 seconds to pass or shoot. Every player wears a two-letter bib (GS, GA, WA, C, WD, GD, GK) that defines exactly which areas of the court they may enter, so the game is a chain of passes moving the ball zone by zone toward the shooting circle.
Only two players on each team, Goal Shooter and Goal Attack, are allowed to score, and only from inside the semicircular shooting circle. That single rule shapes everything you watch: attacking teams work the ball patiently to feed their shooters close to the post, while defenders (Goal Defence and Goal Keeper) contest every feed and leap to defend shots from a mandated distance of 0.9 metres. Because contact and obstruction are penalised strictly, the contests are about timing, footwork and aerial athleticism rather than body-checking.
Matches are four quarters of 15 minutes, and after every goal the game restarts with a centre pass that alternates between teams regardless of who scored, so scorelines stay close and momentum runs matter. Watch the mid-court battle: Centres and Wing players decide whether each centre pass turns into a clean feed into the circle or a turnover the other way. In the Commonwealth world, Australia, New Zealand, England, Jamaica and South Africa, this sport fills arenas.
How scoring works
A goal, worth one point, is scored when the Goal Shooter or Goal Attack shoots the ball completely through the ring, and the shot must be taken from wholly within the shooting circle. No other player may score, and a ball shot from outside the circle does not count in the standard international game. The team with more goals after four quarters wins.
Because the ring has no backboard and stands 3.05 metres high, shooting is a pure arc-and-touch skill, and top shooters convert at very high percentages. After every goal, play restarts with a centre pass from the middle of the court, and centre passes alternate strictly between the teams no matter who scored, which keeps possession roughly even and puts a premium on converting your own centre passes while stealing some of the opponent's.
Some professional leagues add a twist: Australia's Suncorp Super Netball awards two points for a Super Shot, a goal scored from an outer zone of the circle during the final five minutes of each quarter. In the shortened Fast5 format, long-range shots are likewise worth more. In standard international netball, though, every goal is one point, and drawn finals matches are settled with extra time.
- Only the Goal Shooter (GS) and Goal Attack (GA) may score, and only from inside the shooting circle.
- Every goal is worth one point in the standard international game.
- Matches are four quarters of 15 minutes; scores often reach the 50s and 60s per team.
- Centre passes alternate between the teams after every goal, regardless of who scored.
- The ring has no backboard and stands 3.05 metres high.
- Suncorp Super Netball's Super Shot awards two points from the outer circle zone in the last five minutes of each quarter.
- Elite shooters routinely convert well over 80% of their attempts.
Formats
International (7-a-side)
Fast5
Super Netball (with Super Shot)
The rules
Court, thirds and the shooting circle
The court is a 30.5 by 15.25 metre rectangle divided by two transverse lines into three equal thirds: a centre third and two goal thirds. At each end a semicircular shooting circle of 4.9 metres radius surrounds the goal post, which stands 3.05 metres tall and carries a ring with no backboard. All lines are part of the court, but a player touching the ground outside the lines while holding the ball is out of court. The small centre circle in mid-court is where every centre pass is taken.
Positions and playing areas
Each team fields seven players in fixed positions, identified by bibs, and each position is confined to specific thirds of the court. Goal Shooter (GS) and Goal Keeper (GK) live in their respective goal thirds including the circle; Goal Attack (GA) and Goal Defence (GD) add the centre third; Wing Attack (WA) and Wing Defence (WD) cover the centre third and a goal third but may never enter the shooting circle; Centre (C) may go everywhere except either shooting circle. Stepping into a prohibited area is the offside rule in netball and gives the opponent a free pass, no matter where the ball is.
Who can score
Only GS and GA may attempt a shot, and only from wholly inside the shooting circle. This is why the WA's feeding and the GD/GK's circle defence are so decisive: everything funnels toward two shooters in one small zone.
The footwork rule
Netball's signature rule. A player who catches the ball while landing on one foot may not re-ground that landing foot before releasing the ball, though they may step with the other foot and pivot on the landing foot. A player landing on both feet simultaneously may move either foot (but not both) in the same way. Re-grounding the landing foot, dragging or hopping is stepping, penalised with a free pass. The rule eliminates running with the ball and gives netball its distinctive catch-pivot-release rhythm.
Playing the ball: 3 seconds, no dribbling, no replaying
A player in possession must pass or shoot within 3 seconds. There is no basketball-style dribbling: a player may bat or bounce the ball once to gain control, but once possession is taken they may not bounce it again, and after releasing the ball they may not replay it until another player has touched it. The ball also may not be thrown over a complete third without being touched in that third ('over a third'), which forces teams to build attacks through the mid-court rather than launching long balls to the shooters.
Contact and obstruction
Netball is a limited-contact sport. Contact that interferes with an opponent's play, pushing, charging, knocking the ball from an opponent's hands, is penalised. Obstruction is the other core defensive restriction: a defender contesting a player with the ball must have their nearer foot at least 0.9 metres (3 feet) away before raising arms to defend the pass or shot. From that distance defenders may jump and stretch fully. Both offences are punished with a penalty pass (or penalty pass/shot in the circle), during which the offender must stand out of play beside the thrower until the ball is released.
The centre pass
Play starts each quarter and restarts after every goal with a centre pass taken by the Centre from the centre circle, and centre passes alternate between the teams throughout the match regardless of who scores. Only the Centre may be in the centre third before the whistle; other players are released from behind the transverse lines on the whistle, and the pass must be caught or touched in the centre third. Players 'breaking' into the centre third early are penalised with a free pass to the opponent.
Sanctions: free pass and penalty pass
Minor infringements by the team in possession or around play, stepping, offside, held ball (over 3 seconds), replaying the ball, over a third, breaking at the centre pass, give the opposing team a free pass, taken where the offence occurred; any onside player may take it, but a free pass cannot be a shot at goal. Contact and obstruction bring the harsher penalty pass, where the offending player must stand beside the thrower, out of play, until the ball leaves the thrower's hands; in the shooting circle the attacking team may choose a penalty shot instead.
Out of court and restarts
The ball is out when it, or a player holding it, touches the ground, a post support or any object outside the court lines. Play restarts with a throw-in taken by the opposing team from the point where the ball left, with the thrower's feet behind the line. The thrower must release within 3 seconds and obey the normal passing rules, including not throwing over a complete third.
Timing, substitutions and officials
Matches run four 15-minute quarters with intervals between them, and injury stoppages are controlled by the umpires. Substitutions are made during intervals or stoppages, and teams may reshuffle bibs at the same time, moving, say, the GA into GS. Two umpires share control, one for each half of the court, calling infringements on the whistle; drawn knockout matches go to extra time, and some competitions use tie-break arrangements beyond that.
Glossary — 33 terms
Stats decoded
| Stat | Unit | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | goals | Goals scored, credited only to GS and GA. Team totals in elite netball commonly reach the 50s and 60s per match, with the GS usually carrying the larger share. |
| Goal attempts | attempts | Shots taken at goal. Read with shooting percentage: high volume at high accuracy defines the world's best shooting circles. |
| Shooting percentage | % | Goals divided by attempts. Elite shooters convert well over 80%, and above 90% across a season marks a genuinely dominant GS. |
| Goal assists | assists | Passes leading directly to a goal, the headline creative stat for WA, C and GA. It captures who actually generates the shooting circle's chances. |
| Feeds | feeds | Passes delivered into the shooting circle, whether or not a goal follows. Feed volume shows who runs the attack; feeds with attempt refine it further. |
| Centre pass receives | receives | First catches made from centre passes, usually split between GA and WA. They reveal whose sprint off the line the team trusts to start its attack. |
| Intercepts | intercepts | Opponent passes caught cleanly, winning possession outright. Even two or three in a match from a GD or GK can swing a tight game. |
| Deflections | deflections | Touches on opponent passes or shots without a clean catch. They measure defensive pressure and often lead to loose-ball gains for teammates. |
| Gains | gains | Total possessions won by a defender through intercepts, rebounds, loose balls and forced errors. The modern catch-all measure of defensive impact. |
| Rebounds | rebounds | Missed shots secured under the post, offensive (by GS/GA) or defensive (by GK/GD). With no backboard, rebounding is a pure timing-and-leap contest for second chances. |
| Turnovers | turnovers | Possessions lost through bad passes, held ball, stepping, offside or intercepted feeds. Netball possessions are so efficient that each turnover is close to a goal conceded. |
| Penalties conceded | penalties | Contact and obstruction infringements given away. High counts against circle defenders mean repeated penalty shots for the opposing shooters and time spent stood out of play. |
| Centre pass conversion | % | The share of a team's own centre passes converted into goals. Because centre passes alternate, winning teams typically convert their own at a high rate while stealing some of the opponent's. |
| Super Shots made | goals | Two-point goals converted from the outer circle zone in Suncorp Super Netball's final five minutes of each quarter. A specialist weapon that can erase a late deficit in that league only. |
Quick answers
How does scoring work in netball?
Only two players per team, the Goal Shooter and Goal Attack, may score, and only by shooting from wholly inside the semicircular shooting circle. Each goal is worth one point in the standard international game, and the team with more goals after four 15-minute quarters wins. After every goal the game restarts with a centre pass, which alternates between the teams no matter who scored. Australia's Super Netball adds a two-point Super Shot from the outer circle in the last five minutes of each quarter, but that is a league innovation, not a World Netball rule.
What is the footwork rule in netball?
Once a player catches the ball, the foot they landed on becomes their landing foot, and they may not re-ground it before releasing the ball. They may step with the other foot and pivot on the landing foot, which produces netball's characteristic catch-pivot-pass motion. Lifting and re-planting the landing foot, hopping or dragging is 'stepping' and gives the opponent a free pass. Combined with the 3-second limit, the rule means the ball advances by passing, never by running or dribbling.
What do the positions GS, GA, WA, C, WD, GD and GK mean in netball?
They are the seven positions, worn as bibs: Goal Shooter, Goal Attack, Wing Attack, Centre, Wing Defence, Goal Defence and Goal Keeper. Each position is allowed only in certain thirds of the court: for example the GS stays in the attacking goal third and circle, the WA can feed from the attacking and centre thirds but never enter the circle, and the Centre can go everywhere except the two shooting circles. Entering an area your bib doesn't permit is offside and concedes a free pass. Only GS and GA may shoot.
Can you run or dribble with the ball in netball?
No. There is no dribbling: a player may bat or bounce the ball once to gain control, but cannot bounce it repeatedly to travel, and cannot replay the ball after releasing it until someone else touches it. Running with the ball is prevented by the footwork rule, and the 3-second limit forces a quick pass or shot. The ball also cannot be thrown over a complete third without being touched, so teams must move it through the mid-court in stages.
What is obstruction in netball and how far is the defending distance?
A defender contesting an opponent with the ball must be at least 0.9 metres (3 feet) away, measured from the defender's nearer foot, before raising their arms to defend the pass or shot. Defending closer with arms up is obstruction, punished by a penalty pass, or a penalty pass/shot if it happens in the shooting circle, with the offender required to stand out of play beside the thrower until the ball is released. From the legal distance defenders may jump and stretch as high as they like, which is why shot defence is about vertical timing rather than body pressure.
Why can only two players shoot in netball?
Restricting shooting to the Goal Shooter and Goal Attack, and only from inside the circle, is the design choice that makes netball a team-passing game rather than a scoring free-for-all. Every attack must end with a feed into two well-marked specialists in a small zone, so the craft lies in mid-court movement, circle feeding and shooters' positioning. It also creates netball's signature duels: GS against GK and GA against GD, contested aerially at 0.9 metres. The result is high scoring with constant structure, typically a goal every minute or so at elite level.
How long is a netball match?
A standard match is four quarters of 15 minutes with intervals between quarters, so about 70-80 minutes end to end depending on stoppages. Substitutions and positional (bib) changes are made during intervals and stoppages rather than on the fly. In knockout netball a draw leads to extra time. The shortened Fast5 format uses six-minute quarters for faster tournaments.
Is netball in the Commonwealth Games and which countries are best?
Yes, netball is one of the Commonwealth Games' marquee team sports, reflecting the game's deep roots across Commonwealth countries. Australia and New Zealand have dominated its history, with England (Commonwealth champions in 2018) and Jamaica breaking into the medal contests, and South Africa also among the elite. The other pinnacle is the Netball World Cup, held every four years, which Australia has won more than any other nation. Professionally, Australia's Suncorp Super Netball and New Zealand's ANZ Premiership are the strongest leagues.
Is netball played in India?
Yes. Netball has a governing federation in India, national championships, and a base in schools and universities, particularly among girls, since the game needs only a court, a post and a ball. India fields national teams in Asian netball competition, and the sport featured when Delhi hosted the 2010 Commonwealth Games. It remains amateur in India compared with cricket or kabaddi, but its low equipment cost and seven-a-side structure make it a natural school sport.
What is the Super Shot in netball?
The Super Shot is a rule used in Australia's Suncorp Super Netball league: during the final five minutes of each quarter, a goal scored from a marked outer zone of the shooting circle is worth two points instead of one. It rewards long-range shooting and can flip close games late, which is exactly why it was introduced as a broadcast innovation. It is not part of World Netball's international rules, so you will not see it at the World Cup or Commonwealth Games. The Fast5 format has its own separate multi-point shooting zones.