| Netball in Scotland | |
|---|---|
 Inter-county netball game: Orkney (red) vs Shetland 'A' (blue). | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Governing body | Netball Scotland |
| National team(s) | Scotland |
International competitions | |
Netball in Scotland is a popular sport played mainly by women.
The Scotland national netball team competes in international netball tournaments such as the Netball World Cup, [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] the Commonwealth Games, [7] the European Netball Championship [8] and the Netball Singapore Nations Cup. [9] [10] As of 21 July 2019 [update] , Scotland are 8th in the INF World Rankings. [11]
Two Scottish teams have also competed in the Netball Superleague.
| Team | Years |
|---|---|
| Glasgow Wildcats [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] | 2008–2011 |
| Strathclyde Sirens [17] | 2017– |
Scotland hosted the following international tournaments.
| Tournaments |
|---|
| 1987 World Netball Championships [18] |
| Netball at the 2014 Commonwealth Games [19] |
Tracey Anne Neville is a former England netball international and a former England head coach. As a player, she was a member of the England teams that won bronze medals at the 1998 Commonwealth Games and the 1999 World Netball Championships. As a head coach she guided Northern Thunder/Manchester Thunder to Netball Superleague titles in 2012 and 2014. Between 2015 and 2019 she served as England head coach. She subsequently guided England to the gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and to bronze medals at the 2015 and 2019 Netball World Cups. In 2016 she was awarded an. Neville is the twin sister and younger sister, respectively, of Phil and Gary Neville, the former England and Manchester United footballers. In 2019 Neville and her twin brother, Phil, coached England women's national teams to the semi-final stages in the 2019 Netball World Cup and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup respectively.
The England national women's netball team, also known as the Vitality Roses, represent England in international netball competition. England are coached by Jess Thirlby, and are currently co-captained by Serena Guthrie and Laura Malcolm. As of 1 July 2020, the team is ranked third in the INF World Rankings. England have won one silver and several bronze medals at the World Cup and have won one gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.
The Netball Superleague is a top level netball league featuring teams from the United Kingdom. The league is organised by England Netball and while the majority of teams are based in England, it also features teams from Wales and Scotland. The league was first played for during the 2005–06 season. It replaced the Super Cup as the top level netball competition in England. Since 2016 the league has been sponsored by VitalityHealth and, as a result, it is also known as the Vitality Netball Superleague. League games and grand finals have been broadcast live on Sky Sports. Historically the league's most successful teams are Team Bath, who have won five titles, and the Mavericks, who have played in seven grand finals. In more recent times, Surrey Storm won successive titles in 2015 and 2016 and Wasps have played in three successive finals, winning two titles, between 2017 and 2019. In 2019 Manchester Thunder won their third title. Following disruptions to the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, England Netball took a "difficult decision" to suspend the league until 2021. This followed consultation with the league's board as well as all 10 teams and stakeholders.
The Scotland national netball team represents Scotland in international netball tournaments such as the Netball World Cup, the Commonwealth Games, the European Netball Championship and the Netball Singapore Nations Cup. Scotland also effectively competes in the Netball Superleague. Between 2008 and 2011 they played as Glasgow Wildcats. Since 2017 they have played as the Sirens. As of 21 July 2019, Scotland are 8th in the INF World Rankings.
The 1987 World Netball Championships was the seventh edition of the INF Netball World Cup, a quadrennial premier event in international netball. It was held in Glasgow, Scotland and it featured 17 teams which included the debut of.
Tamsin Greenway is a former England netball international. She was a member of the England teams that won bronze medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and at the 2011 and 2015 Netball World Cups. Between 2006 and 2018 she played in eight Netball Superleague grand finals for three different teams – Team Bath, Surrey Storm and Wasps. During this time she won five Netball Superleague titles as a player and/or coach and a sixth as a director of netball. Greenway also works as a netball pundit for Sky Sports. In 2020 she was appointed head coach of the Scotland national netball team.
The Northern Ireland national netball team represent Northern Ireland in international netball tournaments such as the Netball World Cup, the Commonwealth Games, the European Netball Championship and the Nations Cup. The team was founded in 1955. Northern Ireland won the Nations Cup in both 2009 and 2015 and were silver medallists at the 2012 and 2017 European Netball Championships. As of 21 July 2019, Northern Ireland are listed 11th on the INF World Rankings. Since 2019 the team has been sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers and is sometimes referred to as the PwC Warriors.
Netball in Malawi is organized by the Netball Association of Malawi.
Joanne Elizabeth Harten, also referred to as Jo Harten, is an England netball international. She was a member of the England team that won the gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. In 2020 she received an for her services to netball. She was also a member of the England teams that won bronze medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and at the 2011, 2015 and 2019 Netball World Cups. At club level she has played in grand finals for Galleria Mavericks, Loughborough Lightning and Giants Netball. Harten has captained Loughborough Lightning, Giants and England teams.
Mwai Kumwenda is a Malawi netball international. She represented Malawi at the 2010, 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games and at the 2011 and 2015 Netball World Cups. Kumwenda was the top goal scorer at three successive major tournaments – the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the 2015 Netball World Cup and the 2018 Commonwealth Games. At the 2015 Netball World Cup she was also named Player of the Tournament. Kumwenda captained Malawi and was again tournament top scorer when they finished third at the 2016 Fast5 Netball World Series. At club level Kumwenda has played for Peninsula Waves in the Victorian Netball League, Victorian Fury in the Australian Netball League, Mainland Tactix in the ANZ Championship and for Melbourne Vixens in Suncorp Super Netball.
Strathclyde Sirens are a Scottish netball team based in Glasgow. Since 2017 their senior team has played in the Netball Superleague. Sirens also played in the 2018 Netball New Zealand Super Club tournament. They were originally known as the Scottish Sirens. In 2017 they became the UWS Sirens as a result of a sponsorship arrangement with the University of the West of Scotland. In 2018 they became the University of Strathclyde Sirens, usually shortened to Strathclyde Sirens, after forming a partnership with the University of Strathclyde. Sirens other main partners include Netball Scotland and the Scotland national netball team.
Fiona Themann, also known as Fiona Fowler, is a Scotland netball international. She represented Scotland at the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games and at the 2015 Netball World Cup. At club level, she has played for Melbourne Phoenix in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy, Melbourne University Lightning in the Victorian Netball League, Victorian Fury in the Australian Netball League and for Adelaide Thunderbirds in Suncorp Super Netball. She captained Fury when they won ANL premierships in 2015 and 2016. In 2016 she helped three different teams win league titles. In addition to captaining Fury, she also helped Lightning win the VNL Championship and Newbridge win the LVFNL premiership.
Chelsea Lewis is a Wales netball international. She represented Wales at the 2011 and 2015 Netball World Cups and at the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games. She was also a member of the Wales teams that won the 2010 Netball Singapore Nations Cup and the 2013 and 2014 European Netball Championships. At club level she has played for Celtic Dragons and Team Bath in the Netball Superleague.
Glasgow Wildcats is a Scottish netball team based in Glasgow. Between 2008 and 2011 their senior team played in the Netball Superleague. They were the first team from Scotland to join the league. The Glasgow Netball Association continue to use the Glasgow Wildcats name for their under-15 and under-17 teams.
Claire Maxwell, also known as Claire Brownie, is a Scotland netball international. She captained Scotland at both the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the 2019 Netball World Cup. She also represented Scotland at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2015 Netball World Cup. At club level, she has played for Glasgow Wildcats, Team Bath and Sirens in the Netball Superleague and for Team Northumbria and Loughborough Lightning in the British Fast5 Netball All-Stars Championship.
Towera Vinkhumbo, also referred to as Towera Vinkhumbo-Nyirenda or Towera Nyirenda, is a Malawi netball international and a Malawi women's football international. As a netball player she represented Malawi at the 2010, 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games and at the 2011, 2015 and 2019 Netball World Cups. Vinkhumbo was also a member of the Malawi team that finished third at the 2016 Fast5 Netball World Series. At club level, Vinkhumbo plays for Severn Stars in the Netball Superleague. In July 2019, the same month she played for Malawi in the 2019 Netball World Cup, she also represented Malawi at the 2019 COSAFA Women's Football Championship. She also played for Malawi in 2020 Summer Olympic football qualifiers.
Noleen Lennon, also known as Noleen Armstrong, is a former Northern Ireland netball international. She represented Northern Ireland at the 2003, 2011 and 2019 Netball World Cups and at the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games. She was also a member of the Northern Ireland teams that were silver medallists at the 2012 and 2017 European Netball Championships. She captained Northern Ireland when they won the 2009 Nations Cup and then again at the 2011 World Netball Championships.
Fionnuala Toner is a Northern Ireland netball international. She represented Northern Ireland at the 2011 and 2019 Netball World Cups and at the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games. She was also a member of the Northern Ireland team that were silver medallists at the 2017 European Netball Championships. She has played in the Netball Superleague for Team Northumbria, London Pulse and Team Bath. Toner is also an Ireland women's basketball international. Her younger sister, Máire Toner, is also a Northern Ireland netball international.
Bridget Kumwenda, also referred to as Bridget Chalera or Bridget Kumwenda Chalera, is a Malawi netball international. She represented Malawi at the 2011, 2015 and 2019 Netball World Cups and at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Kumwenda was also a member of the Malawi team that finished third at the 2016 Fast5 Netball World Series.