Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball (.7m (27in) in circumference) through the defender’s goal ring (.4m (15 in) in diameter mounted 3m (10ft) high to a goal post at each end of the court) while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own goal ring. It is one of a few sports created exclusively for women and girls and remains primarily played by them, on indoor and outdoor courts, especially in schools and most popularly in the Commonwealth of Nations.
I like how several times in the Wikipedia article they’re like “netball was first defined by Clara fucking up and not understanding the rules of basketball”
Netball’s development traces back to American sports teacher Clara Gregory Baer’s misinterpretation of the basketball rule book in 1895. The book had lines of patrol drawn on it and Clara interpreted this to mean that players had to stay in those zones. Baer’s modifications proliferated and were later officially ratified into the rules for women’s basketball by 1899.
Screw up, just right, year after year… and somebody might make it official!
