History of England Netball

1891 - Game invented in USA and called Basket Ball. First match recorded in America 1900.

1895 - Visit of Dr.Toles, an American, to Madame Osterberg's P.T. college (now Dartford College). Basket Ball taught with the use of waste paper baskets for goals.

1897 - Game played on outdoor grass courts divided into three parts. Now called Net Ball, it uses a larger ball and replaced the baskets with rings and nets.

1900 - 250 copies of the first set of rules are revised and published by the Physical Education Association.

1926 - An inaugural meeting in London forms the All England Net Ball Association.

1932 - First Inter County Tournament held, with Essex emerging as the first county champions.

1933 - First edition of the magazine Net Ball published, priced 3d.

1935 - Name changed to All England Women's Association for Net Ball and other Hand Ball games.

1937 - Netball represented at a Wembley Festival of Youth in the presence of King George VI.

1939 - Middlesex, the county champions, represent England versus Scotland at Glasgow Exhibition.

1944 - Association now know as the All England Netball Association.

1945 - North-west region wins the first Inter Territorial Tournament in Bristol.

1949 - England wins the first International matches against Scotland and Wales (both scores 25-3).

1951 - Silver Jubilee celebrated. Netball demonstrated at Festival of Britain Exhibition.

1956 - First England touring team visits Rhodesia and South Africa. Visit of Australian touring team.

1957 - England wins its match against The Rest at the Empire Pool, Wembley. First international rules conference with nine countries attending.

1959 - South Africa tours England, winning 18 out of 25 matches but losing all three test matches.

1960 - Inaugural meeting in Ceylon of International Federation of Women's Basketball and Netball Associations. International code of rules adopted. Positional names changed and matches lengthened to 60 minutes.

1961 - Jamaica visits England. Twenty-five coaches attend a national conference to launch coaching scheme.

1962 - England visits the West Indies, winning all tour matches. Grant aid received for a national coaching scheme.

1963 - First World Tournament is held in Eastbourne and won by Australia. England finish third behind New Zealand.

1964 - National headquarters acquired in London with a full time staff.

1966 - Harbourne club wins the first National Clubs Tournament. Twelve England coaches, who were also players, visit South Africa and win all their matches.

1967 - England finish fourth in Second World Tournament in Australia; event is won by New Zealand. Introduction of a National Colleges Tournament.

1969 - Tour of the West Indies by England, who won all their matches. Introduction of a National Schools Tournament.

1970 - British Student team visits Bahamas and Jamaica. New Zealand and Jamaican teams tour England. Formation of English Schools Netball Association.

1971 - Third World Tournament in Jamaica. Australia wins with England in third place.

1972 - England Under 21 team tours Jamaica. Scotland Under 21 team beat England Under 21 team for the first time.

1973 - England players demonstrate Netball in Stuttgart at the German Festival of Sport. England team tours South Africa, despite strong opposition by some West Indies countries.

1974 - Visit of a New Zealand Touring team to England, which wins all three test matches. England team visits Dublin for the first time.

1975 - Eleven countries compete in Fourth World Tournament, held in New Zealand. Australia wins the tournament with England the runners up - England defeats New Zealand for the first time en route to final, by a single goal

1976 - Celebrations for the Association's Golden Jubilee held throughout the country. Canada and the Trinidad & Tobago teams visit England.

1977 - East Region receives the Trinidad & Tobago trophy for winning the re-introduced Regional Tournament. England wins the first British Isles Tournament for the Marion Wall trophy.

1978 - England team tours Trinidad & Tobago. Australia team tours England and wins all its matches

1979 - Fifth World Tournament in Trinidad, with 19 countries competing. England comes fourth behind triple joint-champions, New Zealand, Australia and Trinidad & Tobago. New Zealand tours England and wins all matches.

1981 - England tours New Zealand, Australia and Singapore. England Under 23s tour Jamaica. Barbados visit England.

1982 - New Zealand tours England and Wales winning all matches.

1983 - Sixth World Tournament in Singapore. England maintains fourth place with Australia as World Champions.

1984 - Jamaica tours England, winning the Wembley test and losing the Aston Villa test. The National Clubs League is started.

1985 - World Games held in London, with New Zealand beating World Champions Australia into second place, and Jamaica beating England into fourth.

1986 - The Association employs a marketing company to raise the profile of the game. Australia tours England and wins the test series.

1987 - Seventh World Tournament in Glasgow, with 17 counties competing. England retains fourth place behind New Zealand, World Champions Australia and Trinidad & Tobago. England tours New Zealand; the West Indies representative team tours England.

1988 - England U21s achieve second place in the first World Youth Cup held in Australia. New Zealand tours England. A new English Counties League is launched.

1989 - World Games in Karlsruhe with England finishing third behind New Zealand and Australia. National Youth Development programme launched.

1990 - England Seniors tour Australia in June, and Australia returns the visit in November. England hosts the Canadians and sends an U21 team to Barbados. English Schools sends its first tour squad to Australia.

1991- Eighth World Championships in Australia. England retains fourth place behind the host nation. Canada and West Indies tour England, England go to New Zealand. Netball Leader's Award launched.

1992 - England's U21s achieve fourth place in the second World Youth Championships in Fiji. New Zealand and the VIS tour England. A new National Clubs League is launched. A new AENA committee structure is adopted.

1993 - England secures a 3-0 test victory in Jamaica in the spring and then 4-0 victory against Trinidad & Tobago in the autumn. First Step Netball, a four-a-side mini-game, is launched. England participated in the World Games in The Hague, Netherlands.

1994 - The English Schools Netball Association merges with the AENA after 25 years as a separate body. South Africa re-enters the international arena, beating England 5-0 in an extended Test Series. England U21 completes a successful tour of the West Indies.

1995 - Ninth World Championships (WNC95) hosted by England in its centenary year. England retains fourth place behind Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. Coaching Roadshow and Playdays held nationwide to support many WNC95 events. England tours New Zealand in April. New Skills and Shooting Star Awards launched. Cook Islands tour in November.

1996 - England takes the bronze medal at the World Youth Championships in Canada. Jamaica tours England in November. England U16 tour of Australia undertaken in July. High Five Netball, a 5-a-side mini-game, is launched. AENA publishes its first Disability Development Plan, and adopts a new logo.

1997 - England tours South Africa and Namibia, and entertains New Zealand and the AIS in November/December. New four year "Plans to be the Best" published in January and a major Lottery grant secured to support the World Class Performance Plan. AENA delegates attend IFNA Council Meeting in Barbados to consider rule changes.

1998 - England U19 squad tours Barbados and Trinidad, while the U17 squad tours New Zealand. The West Indies tours England, winning the three test Series. The England Open Squad tours Malaysia and Australia. Netball is played at the Commonwealth Games for the first time. England beats South Africa to win the bronze medal, with Australia winning the gold and New Zealand the silver medals.

1999 - England beats South Africa in a one-off test match in Manchester. Jamaica tours England and wins the three-match Test Series. The England 2000 Squad tours Australia, while England U17 tours the Cook Islands. Tenth World Championship held in Christchurch, New Zealand. Australia wins the gold and New Zealand the silver. England wins the bronze medal having beaten Jamaica 57-43 in the play-off. An Under 21 Tri-Series is held between Australia, the AIS, New Zealand and England. England secures third place having beaten New Zealand in the final match. Jamaica U21 squad tours England, and is beaten by England 2000 (U21) in each of the three test matches. South Africa Open and U21 Squads tour England.

2000 - World Youth Netball Championship held in Cardiff.

2001 - AENA celebrates its 75th Anniversary with a number of events. The AENA Hall of Fame is also launched in September. Australia visits England to play a three-match Test Series, winning all three matches against the hosts. Fisher and Paykel Super Cup is launched, featuring six teams. Petchey London Tornadoes take the first title by one goal over Birmingham University Blaze. England Squad tours Australia, playing State teams and the Australian Long Squad. England plays a three-match Test Series against New Zealand in New Zealand, losing all three matches. The Racial Equality Charter for Sport is signed at the AENA Annual General Meeting.

2002 - Commonwealth Games held in Manchester. England finish fourth, losing play-off to Jamaica. Australia defeats New Zealand for the gold medal after double overtime. Tri-series between Australia, Barbados and England won by Australia. AENA achieves preliminary award of the Racial Equality Standards for Sport. YWCA Bury takes second National Clubs League title

2003 - New Zealand tours England, and takes three-match test series 3-0. England loses tour of Jamaica 2-1. Eleventh World Championships held in Jamaica; New Zealand defeats Australia for gold medal. Jamaica takes bronze medal, with England in fourth place. Netball named as priority sport for Sport England funding. London Tornadoes takes Super Cup title.

2004 - Australia tours England and takes three-match test series 3-0. England plays senior and U21 test series against South Africa, winning senior series 3-0 and U21 series 2-1. First Marion Smith Championships for Players with Learning Disabilities. TeamBath wins second Super Cup.

2005 - England tour Australia and New Zealand, losing one-off test against Australia and a series against New Zealand (3-0). London Tornadoes retains Super Cup title. England U21 takes silver at the World Youth Championships in Florida, losing to New Zealand in the final. Australia defeats Jamaica for the bronze. England and Jamaica tie test series in England. Netball Superleague launched. England wins autumn test series in South Africa 3-0.

2006 - England takes bronze medal at Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. New Zealand defeats Australia to take gold, the first time that Australia has lost in Commonwealth Games competition. Linden NC takes National Clubs League division one title, as well as winning inaugural Netball UK Challenge Cup. TeamBath takes first Netball Superleague title. Refuge named as England's first official charity partner. England wins one-off test match in Fiji. Agreement signed by England Netball which sees second season of Netball Superleague televised by Sky Sports.

2007 - England wins home test series against South Africa 3-0. England defeats New Zealand for first time in 32 years, only the second win over the Kiwis ever, as part of tri-series with New Zealand and Australia. 12th World Championships moved from Fiji to Auckland, New Zealand after military coup in Fiji pre-Christmas 06. Academy NC does the NCL division one and Netball UK Challenge Cup double. TeamBath completes undefeated league season in Netball Superleague.

2008 - England hosted Malawi for the first time in a home test series, which they won 3-0. The series saw captain Amanda Newton gain her 100th cap. U21 squad stepped up their training for the World Youth Championships 2009, traveling down under to play Australia and New Zealand's respective sides. The tour proved to be a good learning experience for them. Mavericks took their first co-operative netball superleague title defeating the league's top finishers in the grand final. Linden NC took the Premier League 1 title and Premier League 2 newcomers Essex Open finished a near perfect season to take the title.

2009 – England hosted Jamaica in a home test series which they won 3-0. This series saw captain Karen Atkinson gain her 100th cap. U21 squad travelled to the Cook Islands and narrowly missed out on a bronze to Jamaica. TeamBath went undefeated in every match of the 2008/09 Superleague season winning the champions title. The World Netball Series was born and introduced new rules to the game including shooting from outside the circle and a shorter format of the game.



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