How Has Lockdown Affected Netball?

It’s fair to say that all sports have been affected by the lockdown and Covid-19 pandemic, and netball is no different.

While we might not be able to meet up to train or play matches at the moment, that doesn’t mean the sport isn’t continuing to develop during this time.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, Pamela Cookey, former England netball captain, said that she hopes that netball will be able to maintain its momentum and continue to grow once players are allowed to return to the courts.

“You need to keep any sport in that limelight and in an environment where people can see it so that they want to be a part of it,” she said. Although the enforced pause has undoubtedly had an effect on netball’s progression towards getting a professional Superleague structure, Ms Cookey is optimistic it can build momentum again.

She also hopes that the 2020 Superleague season can be concluded “in some capacity” once it’s safe to do so, as she believes just starting again with the 2021 season in February would mean there’s too long of a gap between the seasons.

News Chain recently reported that the Vitality Netball Superleague has extended the postponement of all its fixtures to at least 31 May this year. The initial suspension ran until 30 April, but given the continued state of lockdown in the UK this suspension has been extended.

A statement issued by the league said that it was “committed” to getting the netball season up and running again, but “only when it is safe to do so”.

We’re also looking forward to when we’ll be able to start our Redhill netball classes and other training sessions again – keep an eye on our website for updates!