Netball in Fiji

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Netball in Fiji
Natalei netball.jpg
A netball competition at Natalei, Fiji.
CountryFiji
National team(s) Fiji

Netball in Fiji is a popular sport, with a men's and a women's national team. Netball games are most often played by girls on Saturdays during the winter, though games can be played at all times of the year. [1] [2] Women's participation in netball is comparable to men's participation in rugby. [3]

Contents

History

The sport started to grow in popularity during the 1970s. [4] Continuing growth of the game in Fiji was at times hampered by the fact that the sport is not an Olympic one. For Olympic sports, money can be tapped to help cover costs for inter-island travel for international competitions. The lack of netball being recognized makes it harder to find money to cover these costs. [5]

International competitions

Samoa and Fiji are traditional netball rivals. This rivalry can be seen at events like Pacific Games. [1]

Fiji was supposed to host the 2007 World Netball Championships, but a military coup caused the IFNA to move the championship to Auckland. [3]

As of August 2016, the women's national team was ranked number seven in the world. [6]

Fiji has a men's national team that has competed in the 2009 and 2011 International Challenge Men's and Mixed Netball Tournament. [7]

Fiji U21 side competed in the 2017 Netball World Youth Cup in Botswana, Gaborone and placed 4th. Highest ranking for any Fiji Netball side.

Related Research Articles

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Samoa national rugby union team

The Samoa national rugby union team represents Samoa in men's international rugby union and it is governed by the Samoa Rugby Union. They are also known as Manu Samoa, which is thought to derive from the name of a Samoan warrior. They perform a traditional Samoan challenge called the siva tau before each game. Samoa Rugby Union were formerly members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance (PIRA) along with Fiji and Tonga. They are ranked 15th in the world.

Rugby union in the Cook Islands

Rugby union in the Cook Islands is a popular sport. It is a tier three rugby playing nation. They began playing international rugby in 1971 and have yet to make the Rugby World Cup. They are currently rated 55th, with 2,258 registered players and 21 clubs.

Netball in Australia Overview of the ball sport in Australia

Netball is the most popular women's team participation sport in Australia. In 1985, there were 347,000 players. In 1995, there were over 360,000 Australian netball players. Throughout most of Australia's netball history, the game has largely been a participation sport; it has not managed to become a large spectator sport. In 2005 and 2006, 56,100 Australians attended one to two netball matches. Of these, 41,600 were women. 46,200 attended three to five netball matches, with 34,400 of those spectators being women. 86,400 attended six or more netball matches, with 54,800 spectators being female. Overall, 188,800 people attended netball matches, with 130,800 being female. In 2005 and 2006, netball was the 10th most popular spectator sport for women with Australian rules football (1,011,300), horse racing (912,200), rugby league (542,600), motor sports (462,100), rugby union (232,400), football (212,200), harness racing (190,500), cricket (183,200) and tennis (163,500) all being more popular. The country set an attendance record for a netball match with a record crowd of 14,339 at the Australia–New Zealand Netball Test held at the Sydney Super Dome game in 2004.

Nacula

Nacula is a hilly and volcanic island of the Yasawa Group in Fiji's Ba Province. It is the third-largest and is the second-farthest north in the group of islands.

Rugby union is a popular sport in Solomon Islands. The national team have competed in various international competitions. They are currently ranked 69th by the IRB, with 3068 registered players and 24 clubs.

Rugby union in French Polynesia, particularly on the main island of Tahiti, is a popular team sport. Rugby union was first introduced by British, Kiwi and Australian sailors, and also through the French and the strong presence of the game amongst Pacific Nations. Top Tahitian clubs participate in the domestic club league, the Championnat de Tahiti. Clubs also competed in friendlies vs foreign club teams from neighboring nations as far across the Pacific to Chile.

Netball in the Cook Islands Overview of the ball sport in the nation

The Cook Islands compete as a part of netball's Oceania region. More than 1,000 players have registered to play the sport. Participation in the game grew during the 1970s. Much of this is possible because of the national governing organisation, the Cook Islands Netball Association which is a member of Oceania Netball Federation. Because of the level of organisation and the game's development, the country has participated at several international events including the Pacific Games, the Commonwealth Games, the World Games, the Oceania Netball Tournament, the World Youth Netball Championship, and the International Challenge Men's and Mixed Netball Tournament. A demonstration of the Cook Islands success can be found by looking at the national team: It is one of the top ranked in the world.

Netball in Niue is a popular local sport. Games are most often played by girls on Saturdays between June and August, though games can be played at all times of the year. Most of the netball is played on high school athletic grounds.

Netball in Samoa is a popular game, usually played by girls on Saturdays during the winter, though games can be played at all times of the year. The sport started to grow in popularity during the 1970s. The popularity of netball is also growing amongst men on the island.

Netball in Solomon Islands is a popular sport, usually played by girls on Saturdays during the winter, though games can be played at all times of the year.

Netball in Tonga is a popular sport, usually played by girls on Saturdays during the winter, though games can be played at all times of the year.

Netball in Vanuatu Overview of the ball sport in Vanuatu

Netball has a large amount of grassroots support in Vanuatu. Games are most often played by girls on Saturdays during the winter, though games can be played at all times of the year. Continuing growth of the game in Vanuatu was at times hampered by the fact that the sport is not an Olympic one. The Olympic Solidarity Movement provides much access to funding through the International Olympic Committee. For Olympic sports, money can be tapped to help cover costs for inter-island travel for international competitions. The lack of netball being recognized meant it was hard to find money to cover these costs.

Papua New Guinea Netball Federation was created in the 1960s. There are over 10,000 registered netball players in the country. A large support base for the sport exists around Port Moresby.

Netball has never been played at the Summer Olympics, but its federation has been recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), since 1995 after a twenty-year period of lobbying. The netball community sees netball's absence at the Olympic Games as a hindrance to the global growth of the game, depriving it of media attention and funding. The IOC requires a high geographical scope for inclusion in the Olympics, but netball is mostly played in Commonwealth countries. When the IOC recognized netball's federation, it opened up sources of funds that the global netball community had not been able to access before, including the (IOC), national Olympic committees and sports organisations, and state and federal governments.

Netball in Oceania

Netball in Oceania is generally regarded as a woman's sport. Women's sports in Oceania have traditionally had a very low profile. Despite this, netball is popular in Oceania, with its growth partly because of New Zealand encouraging the game and providing money for the training of coaches, umpires and other netball development needs. In New Zealand and in neighbouring Australia, netball is one of the most popular sports played by women.

Geography of netball

Netball is a popular participant sport in some parts of the world, particularly in countries of the Commonwealth of Nations. According to the IFNA, over 20 million people play netball in more than 72 countries. IFNA member nations are divided into five regional groups: Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Oceania.

Mens netball

On the club, national and international level, men's netball teams exist, but attract less attention than women's netball. Mixed teams are not uncommon in Australia and are very popular. Men's national teams do exist in Brunei, Canada, England, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Isle of Man, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Singapore and the UAE.

Sacred Heart Church, Levuka Church building in Levuka, Fiji

The Sacred Heart Church, also known as the Church of the Sacred Heart or Sacred Heart Catholic Church, is a Roman Catholic church on the Fijian island of Ovalau, situated on Beach Street in the town of Levuka. The church's clock tower serves as a lighthouse to guide the ships to the port through an opening in the reef. The church is part of the heritage status accorded to Levuka by its inscription as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

References

  1. 1 2 MacKinnon 2009 , p. 51
  2. Miller, Jones & Pinheiro 2003
  3. 1 2 Starnes & Luckham 2009 , p. 42
  4. Lal & Fortune 2000 , p. 458
  5. Crocombe 1992 , p. 156
  6. International Netball Federation. "Current World Rankings". Last updated 20 August 2016.
  7. Samoa Observer 2011

Bibliography