Whistler Social Netball League game action.

So for the love of Netball and being deprived from a sport I love so much, the Whistler Social Netball League was founded in December 2012.

The History of the Game

To give you a quick idea of the sport – the development of netball derived from basketball from England in the 1890s. There are seven players are on court, the court is divided into thirds with two goal circles, players are restricted to areas on the court, only two players in the team can shoot, there is no back board on the goal ring, there is no bouncing or running with the ball, and one point is scored for every successful goal. It is popular in Commonwealth countries and is predominantly played by women. However some of the best and most fun netball played is mixed netball! Get it yet? Check out You Tube!

Gibbons Grizzlies Netball Team

Introducing the Whistler Social Netball League

Winter can be a long season in Whistler and it gets dark at night quickly, so what we wanted to offer the Whistler Community was a night activity that would involve being active, catching up with friends, meeting new people and creating a fun competitive environment. Then of course to continue the team bonding, après at the Longhorn was the best way to ‘debrief’, especially if a win was the case!

Netball hadn’t been played in Whistler before and therefore court space and equipment needed to be sourced. Myrtle Philip Community School enthusiastically took on the idea of having the Whistler Social Netball League use their inside gym for their regular games. So with that, the full basketball court was hand taped to outline the half-sized netball courts and the netballs, bibs and goal posts were ordered online.

Aiming to shoot during a Whistler Social Netball League game.

First Season Success

The first 10 week season in January 2013 saw 8 teams of guys and girls take the courts. It was a great competition, with ex-pro players, some who hadn’t played the game for over 10 years, Basketballers, and those who had never played the game – including the Canadians! It was amazing how everyone came together to enjoy their sport again and to teach their friends the game too.

The first season was so successful that there has since been another three seasons including an all-day tournament, which included two teams from Vancouver coming up to play against the strong Whistler teams.

The next Whistler Social Netball League season starts on October 15, 2014 so be sure to mark the date in your calendar!

Visit our official page to get the most up-to-date information on season dates, registration, schedules and games results.

Gibbons Whistler

Gibbons has been celebrating with people since 1979. We operate venues, run festivals, brew beer, talk travel and throw parties.