Essay Sample on Netball in England and the Issue of Funding

Netball is not only a popular sport in England, its origin, but also the entire globe. As a child, I used to play this game in elementary school. I had no idea that it was a serious sport as we played without the use of nets as goals. Importantly, over the years, now that I can access research resources, I have come to notice that netball is a systematic game full of rules and culture like the other ball games.

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Notably, netball is often confused with basketball. The only difference between the two is that netball entails no dribbling as it is with the case with basketball. The game includes seven players who are; goal shooter, goal attack, wing attack, centre, wing defence, goal defence and goalkeeper. The goal shooter's role is to score goals and is assisted by the goal attack. The wing attack is the player that creates the opportunities to score by securing the ball from the defence. Centre acts as the link between the defence and the attack. The goalkeeper and defence work together to ensure that the defence does not score whereas the wing defence is the player that ensures that the opponents do not reach the scoring ring.

As I was watching the game online, I observed that netball has a feature like football. I noticed that the ball in netball is returned to the centre every time a team wins as it with the case with football. Here, the winning team is not favoured to begin the game after a win. Chiefly, I learned that netball began in England, that's why it is more famous there. However, it is shocking that the game has not yet be termed as an official Olympic sport despite its popularity in over 80 countries. I came to realise trough research that netball does not adequate funding as it requires since it's a non-Olympic game. I learned that the sport is currently going through a 34% financial reduction compared to the past years. As a result, the game's popularity and stability are slowly failing.

Chiefly, I decided to research to understand my observations concerning netball. My primary interest was to understand the significant similarities between the game and basketball. First, my study revealed that netball was started to complement women in 1892. It was to replace basketball to fit females' social description and expectations. Back then, basketball was considered masculine as it entails forceful passes and dribbling of the ball. Notably, from my research evaluation through observing, I come to conclude that netball is a soft game as it entails smooth passing of the ball from one player to another. However, it is critical to note that the sport is also played men but not as much as it is with women.

Consequently, I interpreted that gender discrimination against women is the key reason why netball has not yet qualified to be an Olympic sport. I think that the culture of netball breeds a negative feeling as it reminds me that we still live in a community that fears to empower women. This revelation made me wonder why netball did not receive as massive recognition as basketball, yet it is the female version. I think that the woman is still regarded as inferior and delicate in modern society; thus, she should not indulge herself in manly roles that require strength.

Additionally, if I were a member of any netball team, I think I would be more of a feminist. I would strive to prove to the sports world that women are as capable and equal to men. Therefore I would advocate for justice regarding netball' qualification in the Olympic sports despite its delicate nature to help it continue domineering globally. However, I think that the game should not be used to divide the community using gender setbacks. On the hand, if I were in the dominant sport culture, I would contribute to elevating games that are seen as a weakness to be accepted internationally.

In conclusion, netball is a fun and social sport. Therefore, people should take advantage of its popularity to spread unity messages instead of being used to cause further societal gaps. Moreover, it should be supported both financially and socially as provides a platform for empowerment to the young people as they have been prone to immorality due to the technological lifestyle.