Modified training, including intra-club match play and local club friendlies, has been allowed since 18 August for groups of up to 30 people per court, subject to netball organisations having the required risk mitigations in place.

In July, the government announced that team sports could return if governing bodies submitted an action plan that could demonstrate their ability to satisfy a risk exposure framework and put sufficient risk mitigation measures in place at every level of the community game. As part of this, sports were required to analyse the traditional versions of the game and assess the number of instances where players came within 1m, face to face for three or more seconds. These instances represented ‘increased risk’ of infection and, due to the nature of netball, match analysis concluded that these types of instances were common in every level of the game.

As part of its action plan, England Netball has increased the normal three-foot marking rule to four foot, and outlined that players will be required to position themselves a minimum of four foot away from their opposing players and teammates at the start of play, and also remove close contact idle interactions from the game.

The governing body’s popular programmes based on traditional netball rules, including Back to Netball, Netball Now, Bee Netball and ParaNetball have also returned in line with the modifications.

“This is a great step in reigniting netball and is vital in helping the sport to rise again. Thousands of women and girls can step back on courts and enjoy the significant physical and mental benefits the sport brings to so many,” said Fran Connolly, CEO of England Netball.