Rising interest in team sports has been highlighted in the most recent Sport Wales Survey, with netball seeing an increase in participation
Women who have recently moved to Cardiff are using team sports to make new friends and help them settle in. Chelsea Bartlett, a 30-year-old Cardiff resident, is one such example. After joining her local netball league in Cardiff, she found a supportive community of women.
“I moved here knowing no one,” she shares, “but joining the netball club allowed me to build a strong social circle.”
Jessica Chee, a 21-year-old from Barry Island echoes this statement, “I moved up here and didn’t know anyone but I’ve made a great group of friends.”
“Netball is a community of its own”, Bartlett explained, “It’s amazing how you can meet so many people you would have never crossed paths with otherwise.”
“We noticed there was a lack of social team sporting opportunities for women but a huge demand, ” said Play Netball, a national organisation that run weekly netball clubs.
“With a growing number of women who played netball in school and were keen to get playing again, we could see the potential.”
Play Netball offers four sessions a week in Cardiff, saying they have recognised a demand for social and competitive netball opportunities for women.
Beyond the social benefits, netball offers a range of physical and mental health advantages. “Being able to move my body in a sport I love truly makes me so happy and I feel so much better for it”, said Chee.
“Being a mother, wife, and full-time worker, it allows me to have that me-time too,” Bartlett added. The physical activity and mental stimulation provided by the sport contributes to overall well-being and can help alleviate stress and anxiety.
Both Chelsea and Jessica agree that doing team sport during adulthood is very important, “For physical health, to keep your body moving, as we’re so encouraged whilst you’re younger,” said Chee, “doing something you enjoy to get you out of the house is so important.”
As the popularity of team sports continues to grow, it is evident that netball is more than just a game; it’s a way of making new friends and settling in to somewhere new.