World Netball Family Grows

Netball France has been awarded full membership of World Netball.Netball France has been awarded Full Membership of World Netball and Europe Netball – respectively the Global and Regional Federations of the sport.

France becomes the 79th country to become a World Netball Member and one of 14 Europe Netball Members, as the sport continues to expand its footprint around the world.

As a Member of World Netball, Netball France has the right to enter teams into internationally sanctioned competitions and will benefit from access to development grant funding, and kit and equipment.

Netball France was established in 2020 to support a growing French netball community and is legally recognised by France’s Ministry of Sports as an “association of associations” within the national sports system.

In less than three years, it has overseen the establishment of a robust national governance and development infrastructure for netball. This includes the implementation of elite player pathway and representative frameworks, a national league and championship structure and initiatives including a schools’ outreach programme, coaching and umpiring development.

Netball France’s 2022-2025 strategy sets out a series of ambitious growth objectives for netball in France, which is one of Europe’s leading sports nations and enjoying a period in global sports spotlight as host of the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024.

World Netball CEO, Clare Briegal said: “We are delighted to announce that Netball France is the newest Full Member of World Netball. One of our three core strategies is to increase global participation and reach, and our Members are very much key to driving this.

We look forward to working with Netball France to grow the game in their country.”

Europe Netball Chair, Catherine Lewis said: “Europe Netball is a growing and thriving region and we are thrilled to welcome Netball France into our netball family. We will continue to support them on their exciting netball journey.”

Bethany Lord, President of Netball France, said: “This is an important and emotional milestone that is testament to the hard work of so many people – players, volunteers and partners – who share our love for netball and want to extend its presence in France and the world. France is a true sporting nation at the centre of world sport right now. With French netball now officially on the map, we could not be more excited about the potential of our sport in this country. “

Lauren Forrow, Vice President of Netball France in charge of Governance, said: “Membership of World and Europe Netball will be key to unlocking a wide range of benefits and opportunities for our members, which go beyond French representation on the international tournament stage. This is an important step to accelerate the development of netball at all levels in France. We thank our international colleagues for their support and collaboration, which we look forward to continuing through this next, exciting phase of our journey.”
s – Africa Netball, Americas Netball, Asia Netball, Europe Netball and Oceania Netball – each with a respective Regional Federation. Regional Federations are an integral part of the global governance structure and assist in the implementation of World Netball policies and the development of the sport in their respective regions.

Europe Netball is one of the five regional bodies of World Netball (WN) and a member-based organisation. Europe Netball are ambitious in our quest to support the growth of the sport across the continent; not only in widening the reach of the game but also ensure it is played to the highest quality. Europe Netball know, in doing so, that netball has the power to change lives through better health, building personal skills and bringing communities together. Europe Netball play an integral part in embedding and implementing the global governance structure and World Netball policies within its operations across the Region.

Netball France was established in 2020 as the governing body of netball in France, recognized as an “association of associations” by France’s Ministry of Sport. 13 French netball clubs are currently represented on the Netball France Council. We aim to grow, develop, and promote the sport of Netball in France, and provide playing and training opportunities to all our members. Netball France is supported by development partner London Pulse and national kit partner FLYHAWK.
For more information visit www.netballfrance.com