ATTENTION !!!   ATTENTION  !!!

TO:   ALL COMMITTED NETBALLERS ACROSS THE USA

FROM:  SAUNDRA GRAY, PRESIDENT, USA NETBALL ASSOCIATION

At a recent meeting with IFNA representatives, it was clearly stated that USANA is the governing body of Netball in the USA and that IFNA does not interfere in internal issues and deals only with its members - in this case, USANA and no other entity.

While there will always be challenges to any governing body from the misinformed or misguided, the opportunity is there for any individual to run for office in order to effect the changes that they seek. In fact, the appropriate paperwork was circulated regarding the upcoming elections at the Council Meeting scheduled for October 17, 2009.

We invite and encourage all those persons who either openly or more often those who hide behind pseudonyms or anonymous communication to follow protocol and seek resolution to their complaints - whatever they may be - in the appropriate forum.

I am always available for any questions or ideas from our members or committed netball enthusiasts.

Otherwise,            “LET’S PLAY NETBALL”

LEVEL II and III UMPIRES THEORY EXAMINATION. 
Click here for detail.

CALLING ALL COACHES AND PERSONS WHO WOULD LIKE TO BECOME A COACH.    COACHING SEMINARS HAVE BEEN SCHEDULED.   

Click here for more information.

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT.   Learn more..

USANA'S 1st Edition COMMEMORATIVE PIN. Click here for more detail..

THE OFFICIAL IFNA NETBALL RULE BOOK (Latest Edition) is now available.   Click here..

USA NETBALL 2009 NATIONAL  CHAMPIONSHIPS

On behalf of the Executive Committee and Members of USA Netball, we express appreciation to all the teams that participated in the 2009 National Championships held in Seattle, WA, June 13 & 14, 2009.   Special thanks to all the sponsors and donors  that have helped to make the Championship a tremendous success.   USANA  recognizes the City of Seattle Parks and Recreation as one of the major sponsors.    Visit their website at  http://www.seattle.gov/PARKS/ .   Thank you Emerald City Netball Club and your team of volunteers for organizing and hosting a successful  Championship.    Click here to view the Championship results.   

Want to see highlights from the Championship, click on the links below the view the gallery.                                       

2009 Championships Gallery 1

2009 Championships Gallery 2              

SUPPORT THE BID TO GET NETBALL INTO THE OLYMPICS....

The bid to have netball included in The Olympics has gained momentum since England star Eboni Beckford-Chambers started the campaign with her facebook group 'Bid to get netball in the 2012 Olympics" .  The group now has nearly 30,000 members. Recent in-store activity from The Co-operative has added another 235,000 people in support of the campaign.

According the website www.netballolympicbid.com , the bid to get netball into the Olympics already has the backing of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who has indicated his desire for netball to become a demonstration sport at the London 2012 Olympics.

So come on USA, let do our part to support the bid by visiting www.netballolympicbid.com and sign up, along with the thousands of others who have already done so, to register your support for  netball being played at the Olympics.

USANA Partners with Gilbert Netballs

The USA Netball Association (USANA) is delighted to announce that it has established a national ball contract with Gilbert Netballs. Gilbert Balls will be used at all USANA-sponsored events over the next four years. 

USANA is delighted to establish a professional relationship with Gilbert Balls. Gilbert’s generous ball sponsorship of both the World Youth Tournament and recent World Championships in New Zealand shows a deep commitment to Netball. With the growth of the sport in the USA, it is imperative that we have access to the highest standard of equipment for use by our current and prospective members. Gilbert Netball most certainly fits this requirement, and as such, Gilbert balls will be in used at the USANA 2008 National Netball Championships in Cumming, Georgia” 

Richard Gray, Vice-President of Gilbert Netball states “We have worked with USANA over several years and are excited that they have now identified Gilbert netballs to be the ball of choice. We look forward to a long and productive relationship with USANA as Netball continues to spread throughout the American continent.” 

Netball is considered the most popular women’s team sport in the world. Although invented in the United States in 1891, it is considered a “new” sport in its country of origin yet is a high profile, prime-time TV sport in the United Kingdom, the Caribbean, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. It continues its rapid growth in the United States, Africa and Europe, as the strong lobby of Olympic inclusion builds. 

For inquiries and purchase of  Gilbert Balls,   please send email to  Treasurer@usanetball.com .

USANA Partners with Sport Court

The USA Netball Association is delighted to announce a 3-year sponsorship of its web site by Connors Sport Court. This renews the relationship first established between the two entities back in 2005 at the time of the World Youth Netball Championships where Sport Court supplied three Netball floors for use at the Championship Venue in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 

Andrew Gettig, Vice- President, International Sales, Connors Sport Court stated “We are delighted to renew our relationship with the USA Netball Association. They have proved themselves to be a forward-looking association and have clearly identified that Sport Court playing surfaces add to the excitement, safety and visual appeal of Netball. USA Netball pioneered the use of the surface at the World Youth Netball Championships in 2005 and have clearly endorsed its suitability for play at all levels." 

Carole Hokrein, Tournament Director for World Youth 2005 and current USANA Executive Member states “USANA fully supports the use of Sport Court floors. Its portability lends itself ideally to the requirements of an up-and-coming sport in the USA. Add that to the permanent Sport Court flooring, and we have a surface suitable for every level of play.   USA look forward to a lasting, and mutually rewarding, relationship with Connors Sport Court”. 

In conclusion SPORT COURT is an ideal permanent and portable surface for Netball.  Sportcourt has proven itself to be a great multipurpose surface. The portable version can be laid in just a couple of hours and taken up in less than 15 minutes by a small group of individuals. USANA is delighted to endorse this sport flooring.

For inquiries on Sport Court please visit them at www.sportcourt.com .  In addition, please contact:  Andrew Gettig, Vice President, International +1 801.978.7055 Direct  or  +1 801.978.7056 Fax.

World Netball Rankings

Listed below is the latest world rankings listed by IFNA on their website www.netball.org.

 
This rankings system was developed for IFNA by David Kendix.

The first list was published on 11 February 2008. The latest list has been updated on 28th May 2009.

Teams

This ranking list relates to senior teams of member countries that are playing regular international test matches.

Ranking and Rating
A rating is a measure of the average performance of a team over a series of matches. Each team earns a certain number of points from each international match. Their rating is the total number of points earned divided by the number of matches played.  The team with the highest rating is ranked first in the world. The next highest rating is ranked second and so on.

Weighting

Matches played a long time ago are a poorer guide to current form than more recent results. Therefore past results are weighted, giving a lower weighting to earlier results.

For the purposes of this list, matches played since July 2007 currently have a full weighting (100%). Matches played in the two previous years (July 2005-June 2007) have a weighting of 50%. Earlier matches are not directly included in the ratings at all.

Each July, the oldest year of results will drop out of the ratings and the weightings redistributed. This is the one annual occasion when the rankings list could alter other than through a match being played.

Points

The number of points earned by a team for any match depends on two factors.

1) The result (won, tied or lost)

2) The opponent against whom the result was achieved. The higher an opponent’s rating the more points are earned for beating them

Rating Period

It is not meaningful for a team to claim a world ranking if they have only played a small number of matches. As soon as a team has played eight International test matches over the rating period (currently this means since July 2005), then they will have earned an official world ranking.

If a team has played fewer than eight matches, they will still have a rating, but without a corresponding ranking.     The following teams currently have a rating in the system and could become ranked once they have played 8 matches.

Antigua & Barbuda
Hong Kong
Maldives
Pakistan
St Kitts & Nevis
St Lucia
Thailand
USA
Vanuatu

Any country that is playing international test matches should contact ifna@netball.org