Netball France has been awarded Full Membership of World Netball and Europe Netball – respectively the Global and Regional Federations of the sport.
France becomes the 79th country to become a World Netball Member and one of 12 Europe Netball Full Members, as the sport continues to expand its footprint around the world.
As a Member of World Netball, Netball France has the right to enter teams into internationally sanctioned competitions and will benefit from access to development grant funding, and kit and equipment.
Netball France was established in 2020 to support a growing French netball community and is legally recognised by France’s Ministry of Sports as an “association of associations” within the national sports system.
In less than three years, it has overseen the establishment of a robust national governance and development infrastructure for netball. This includes the implementation of elite player pathway and representative frameworks, a national league and championship structure and initiatives including a schools’ outreach programme, coaching and umpiring development.
Netball France’s 2022-2025 strategy sets out a series of ambitious growth objectives for netball in France, which is one of Europe’s leading sports nations and enjoying a period in global sports spotlight as host of the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024.
World Netball CEO, Clare Briegal said: “We are delighted to announce that Netball France is the newest Full Member of World Netball.
”One of our three core strategies is to increase global participation and reach, and our Members are very much key to driving this.
“We look forward to working with Netball France to grow the game in their country.”
Europe Netball Chair, Catherine Lewis said: “Europe Netball is a growing and thriving region, and we are thrilled to welcome Netball France into our netball family. We will continue to support them on their exciting netball journey.”
Bethany Lord, President of Netball France, said: “This is an important and emotional milestone that is testament to the hard work of so many people – players, volunteers and partners – who share our love for netball and want to extend its presence in France and the world. France is a true sporting nation at the centre of world sport right now.
“With French netball now officially on the map, we could not be more excited about the potential of our sport in this country.”
Lauren Forrow, Vice President of Netball France in charge of Governance, said: “Membership of World and Europe Netball will be key to unlocking a wide range of benefits and opportunities for our members, which go beyond French representation on the international tournament stage. This is an important step to accelerate the development of netball at all levels in France. We thank our international colleagues for their support and collaboration, which we look forward to continuing through this next, exciting phase of our journey.”
Find out more about our Regions and Members here.
