1. l.morby@leedsbeckett.ac.uk Netball: The sport for girls? Louise Morby

2. What to expect (or not) A WORK IN PROGRESS!! Food for thought  Conclusions  Teach you how to suck eggs

3. Background Research done in 2014 - but debate around lack of women in sport is 30 years old Personal involvement in sport and netball 10 netballers (female) – West Yorkshire 90 minute interviews – why do they play netball?

4. Research revisited 1.9 million fewer women than men playing sport once a week (Sport England, 2015) Launch of This Girl Can Sport England’s Active People Survey – netball significant increase in participation 159,300 netballers play at least once a week. Rise of 34% over the last Sport England cycle, exceeding all targets set by the funding body Increase in the 16-25 group. An additional 25,000 netballers playing once a week. England Netball (2015)

5. History of netball To provide a socially acceptable sport for women that is both a means of improving health, in readiness for their roles as wives and mothers, and a sporting pursuit in which feminine behaviours are not compromised (Treagus, 2005) Is this why it is still successful?

6. Key findings – why do you play netball? A familiar sport Easily accessed – lots of provision Safe environment Helps retain femininity Heterosexual sport

7. A familiar sport? Readily taken up by institutions such as educational establishments (Treagus, 2005) Designed especially for women (Treagus, 2005)

8. Easily accessed – lots of provision? Netball remains one of a limited number of sports that are easily accessible for girls to play in schools and in the community (Taylor, 2001)

9. Safe environment? Netball is seen as ‘women-only’ sport; a sport for women, run by women (Taylor, 2001).

10. Helps retain femininity? Krane (2008) reported that participants felt that netball allows them to be athletic and feminine at the same time – they don’t feel like they are compromising their attractiveness.

11. Heterosexual sport? Russell (2007) concluded that people perceive netballers as being hyper-feminine and heterosexual, and that the netballers felt that they did not have to justify why they play netball. Russell (2007) found a correlation between greater physical contact in sport and an increase in the likelihood of perceived lesbianism

12. Moving forwards How can netball help with the 1.9 million deficit? Does it need to learn how to appeal to other types of femininity? Is the This Girl Can campaign the right approach? We as SD professionals may… Want more information Challenge what we are doing Realise what we are doing is spot on!! Need to change what we are doing

13. Useful readings Krane, V. (2001) We can be athletic and feminine, but do we want to? Challenging hegemonic femininity in women’s sport. Quest, 53 pg. 115-133 Krane, V., Choi, P.Y.L., Baird, S.M., Aimar,C.M. and Kauer, K.J. (2004) Living the Paradox: Female Athletes Negotiate Femininity and Muscularity. Sex Roles, Vol. 50, Nos. 5/6, pg. 315-329. Russell, K. (2007) Queers even in netball? Interpretations of the lesbian label among sportswomen. In Aitchson, C.C. (ed) Sport and gender identities: Masculinities, femininities and sexualities. Routledge: Abingdon Taylor, T (2001) Gendering sport – the development of netball in Australia. Sporting traditions, Journal of the Australian society for sports. Vol. 18 (1) pg. 57-74