Strategic Development Fund
The purpose of the World Netball Strategic Development Fund is to support Member Associations in developing netball aligned with the World Netball Strategy, and your Association strategy.
World Netball is pleased to announce the launch of a second round of the Strategic Development Fund.
The closing date for applications for the second round of Strategic Development Funding will be 23rd November 2025.
To apply for the fund, you will need to fill in the application form by clicking on the button below. This will open a Google Form on a separate tab. We do recommend using a laptop or tablet to complete the form.
Application Process
When your application is submitted, it is initially checked for completeness. We will be in contact via the email you have provided if there are any issues.
Your application is then assessed by the Strategic Development Fund Panel. This panel will consider your application with reference to the assessment criteria (see below).
We encourage you to reach out to World Netball if you have any questions or concerns in your application – your first point of contact will be Paul Smith.
Application Criteria
To apply for the fund your association must be a Full Member of World Netball.
Applications are for a maximum of GBP5,000.
In considering your application, please be aware that the fund CAN NOT be used for any of the following:
- Travel for the purposes of competing in international netball competitions.
- Financial support to non-affiliated entities
- Affiliation fees, individual or team memberships and subscriptions
- Cash prizes or large non-cash prizes
- Trips for supporters and spectators, or after-match functions
- Privately owned organisations or ventures for personal gain
- Uniforms
- Player payments
- Activities already funded by Net Effect.
Assessment Criteria
In assessing your application, the Strategic Development Fund Panel will consider the following criteria:
- Strategic relevance. How does the proposal link to your development strategy, your regional strategy and the World Netball strategy.
- How sustainable are the outcomes from your proposal. Proposals should not be for one-off activities, but rather part of a strategy for long term development.
- Efficiency. How efficiently are you delivering the funded activities? This may include effective use of paid and volunteer staff, partnerships with other organisations – either within or outside netball, re-use of existing resources from with netball and so forth.
- Organisation readiness. Is your association ready to deliver the proposed activities? This assessment will be based partially on the results of your Membership Maturity Assessment.
- How realistic is your proposal? Is the budget and plan realistic.
- How complete is the proposal?
The Panel
World Netball has appointed the following individuals as the initial members of the Strategic Development Fund Panel:
- Annette Beckett, Barbados
- Liz Broomhead, England
- Stacey Campton, Australia
- Lucy Faulkner, Scotland
- Jason Tai Lindsay, Cook Islands
They bring with them a broad range of expertise and knowledge, including first-hand experience of sustainable sport development across our five Regions, in officiating, coaching, governance and administration, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), and safeguarding both within and beyond netball, from grass roots to elite/high performance.
This panel reviewed the first round of applications received from World Netball Members for the initial tranche of funding, for which applications closed in March 2024, and they will now also review the second round of applications, for which applications close on 23rd November 2025.