Back to Netball: Why you need to don a bib and get back on the court

Every Monday evening, 31-year-old Christine Bithell leaves works and goes out to meet friends for a catch-up. She works a stressful job and needs to unwind but she bypasses the post-work pint and instead heads to a Back to Netball session.

"I started playing netball to get fit but I stayed for the social life," says Christine.

"I've met work contacts, friends and women with empowering stories who use netball to help them overcome physical and mental health problems."

Social sport

The Back to Netball initiative is 10 years old this month and, after the success of England winning Commonwealth netball gold earlier this year, the back-to-school sport is more popular than ever.

Back to Netball has enabled over 100,000 women to get back into the sport and the beauty of these sessions is that it isn't really about the sport - it's about the women.

"There are so many ways that it is more than netball and that's what we're proud of," explains Helen Wynn from England Netball.

"We hear so many inspiring stories. There are women recovering from illness who want to build their confidence and socialise again, women who want to lose weight, women who want to make friends or have a bit of time to themselves."

'I thought I'd never be invited back'

Horrible memories of cold concrete courts and being picked for teams in PE can be the overriding memory of netball for a lot of women, but these sessions are filling women with confidence.

So how hard is it to go back to a sport you haven't played - in some cases - for 30 years?

Claire Rimmer hated netball in school and needed some convincing before she attended her first session.

"I was paranoid that I would look like a fool and it would be so complicated that I wouldn't know what to do," she said.

"I thought I'd be rubbish, people would laugh and I'd never be invited back - but it's not like that at all. Everyone is so positive and encouraging."

Even Christine, who played in netball teams from primary school up until her teens, was apprehensive about picking it up again.

"I wanted to get fit and running seemed like the easiest option but I only felt comfortable running under cover of darkness," she said.

"I felt like a whale blubbering and stomping my way around the streets, so I gave up as quickly as I'd started.

"I can't pretend I wasn't body-conscious the first time I played.

"I had visions of showing up to the court and being greeted by a group of Olympic-calibre athletes in netball kits, but the reality was a group of friendly, normal women who looked just like me."

The fear

Fear of judgement is the biggest barrier holding women back from getting active according to This Girl Can, so what is it about netball that's different?

For all the women I spoke to, the reason they keeping coming back is that, unlike the drudgery of going for a run or to the gym, netball is fun, and the satisfaction from acquiring a skill - especially when you haven't played a sport since school - can feel like a great achievement.

Netball fever

Since the England Roses' historic win at the Commonwealth Games, 130,700 adult women have been inspired to start playing netball, according to a YouGov poll.

With the World Cup in Liverpool taking place next year, the sport is expected to keep growing.

Netball is having a moment, so if you want to be a part of something there's no better time according to Christine.

"My advice if you're thinking of getting back into a sport is don't be scared," she says.

"I'm not saying netball is for everyone, but netball is for me and when you find the sport that works for you and makes you feel good you should grab hold of it with both hands and embrace it."