Netball is on the rise, and its future has never looked brighter.
From the very first Netball World Cup (NWC) in 1963, then known as the ‘World Netball (WN) Tournament’ to the most recent NWC in 2023, our game continues to go from strength to strength.
Our pinnacle event, the NWC, has had 16 editions so far spanning over 60 years.
We started with just 11 teams taking part in the first NWC, which was held outdoors on the concrete courts of Chelsea College of Physical Education in Eastbourne.
Three teams, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, had to undertake a six-week voyage on three separate ships to England in order to compete, training on the decks of their boats to keep fit.
Despite the travel and preparation conditions, Australia went on to win 10 straight games and become the first ever World Champions.
That is one thing that hasn’t changed in our game, the Diamonds are currently World Champions having won their 12th NWC in 2023.
There were no six-week voyages needed in 2023, as 16 teams travelled to Cape Town for the first ever NWC to be hosted on the continent of Africa.
That event broke records, reaching a live linear TV audience of 14.9 million, more than double that of the 2019 edition in Liverpool (7.3 million) and had a total linear TV audience of 27.6 million.
Combining linear TV, digital streaming, and social media videos the event amassed a total viewership of 42.3 million.
But it isn’t just online that our fans are showing up more than ever, it is in person too.
Gone are the days of outside concrete courts for our world-class thrilling international events, we are now filling arenas and stadiums.
At the most recent Commonwealth Games, Birmingham 2022, 158,728 tickets were sold for the 10-day netball event, with fans filling the arena.
Around the world, outside of WN major events, netball fans continue to break records and fill stadiums year on year too.
The UK’s Netball Super League (NSL) has just hosted England Netball’s biggest ticketed event ever, with over 9,800 fans attending the Grand Final at the iconic O2 Arena, and in New Zealand the average attendance for ANZ Premiership 2025 games was up by 15% year on year.
In Australia, the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) League also broke records in 2025, with a total season attendance of 386,455.
This marked the biggest SSN season in history, cementing the league’s status as the most attended in Australian women’s sport for the second year in a row.
Whilst Australia, England and New Zealand lead the way, netball’s reach has extended way beyond its commonwealth roots.
WN has 77 Members across its five Regions, with all Regions represented within the top five of the WN World Rankings, highlighting the global and competitive nature of the sport.
And, if our Netball World Youth Cup 2025 (NWYC2025) is anything to go by, that global growth and competitive nature isn’t going to slow down anytime soon.
The future has never looked brighter.
On court the event was the most competitive it had ever been, with Gibraltar competing in their first ever NWYC and South Africa reaching their first NWYC Semi-Final.
Around the world, the global netball family enjoyed watching the next generation of world class talent, with WN’s digital channels alone reaching over 26 million people during the nine days of competition, with over one million engagements across all social channels.
In addition to this, viewership on our live streaming channels, YouTube and NetballPass, impressed with 1.3 million match views across the nine days of competition, which led to a combined increase of over 34,000 subscribers across the two channels.
It was the Brisbane 2032 Games host, Australia, that were crowned Champions of the event, beating New Zealand 48 – 63 in the Final, streamed live exclusively on NetballPass.
As our global audience continues to grow, attention now turns to the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games and Netball World Cup Sydney 2027 (NWC2027).
With the top 12 teams in the world confirmed for Glasgow 2026, taking place from the 25th July – 2nd August, you can purchase your tickets now, here.
NWC2027 promises to be the biggest and best yet, with Australia this year revealing Brace Yourself – a bold and contemporary brand identity, designed to move netball into the future for the next generation of fans, players and partners.
NWC2027 it is the perfect time to showcase why our growing global game deserves to be included in the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.
There is still time for you to back the bid, and show your support for netball to be included in the Brisbane 2023 Olympic Games.
Sign the pledge, here.
Back the Bid: It’s Netball’s Time.