In recent months, sport clubs all over England have been adjusting to being back to training and matches, netball being no different. Daria Isakova, a 16-year-old student and player at the Hornets Netball club says that despite criticisms stating otherwise, netball is “definitely a sport” and takes as much training and hard work as any other. 

 

In England, netball is becoming an increasingly popular sport played mainly by women. Perhaps this female predominance influences the misconception that netball is 'not a real sport' or is easy compared to others. Isakova tells me otherwise - netball training for her is “pretty intense” and she plays a minimum of twice a week for the Hornets Netball Club. They compete in three leagues: the Kent League, the Swanley League and the Bromley League and this season have won all their games in both the Swanley and the Kent leagues. Even though training can be difficult like any other sport, she explains it is “all part of the game” and netball has given her an "important" community of friends, trainers and fellow players. This experience is shared with the 76,700 people who participated in netball this year (according to an online survey by Statista) despite the restrictions and worries Covid has brought. 

 

Undoubtedly, the pandemic has impacted sports clubs especially team sports like netball. Going back into weekly training and matches has been a gradual shift and has required even more dedication and diligence. Daria Isakova tells me that it was really important to reconnect with her teammates once restrictions had been loosened. With a sport that requires a high level of communication and trust between players, she adds that it is vital to “connect as a team” - a sentiment that is most likely shared with anyone who competes in a team sport.

 

So what’s next? There are professional netball leagues all over the world for players who wish to take netball further. Namely, the Netball Superleague in the U.K. which recently received £4.2 million in government grants as part of the Sport Winter Survival Package to help finances after the pandemic. Even for players like Daria Isakova - who considers it “a serious hobby” - and do not want to go the professional route, the experience of playing a sport that requires such dedication and connection with others is an invaluable one which should not be discredited.