England Netball created the biggest netball open day ever, external by hosting more than 200 netball sessions across the country the day after the World Cup finished.
On the final day of the tournament, England Netball experienced a 1,000% increase in visits to the England Netball session finder compared to two weeks before the World Cup.
“There was an incredible spike in grassroots netball participation after the Commonwealth Games in 2018,” says England Netball chief executive Jo Adams.
“We hoped that the Netball World Cup would have another similar impact on this country, and I’m pleased to see that it already has.
“Whilst the Roses were gunning for gold at the World Cup, they still came away with a medal and showed thousands of people how amazing this sport is.”
Adams is keen to stress that anyone can get involved regardless of age, ability or fitness.
“They might think they’re not fit at the moment, or not active enough to play competitively, but it’s something to go back to for the fun and social side.
“Anyone can rock up and experience what the game is like.”
In the year following England’s gold at the Commonwealth Games, netball felt a noticeable difference at club level, with teams up and down the country attracting new players aplenty.
Nisha Haaijer, founder and coach of the Birmingham-based Bran Nu club, says: “I think England winning the gold [in 2018] rocketed netball through the whole country.
“We’ve seen so many more people come into netball. They’ve been inspired, and even the ones that were good already have tried to become even better.”
After more than 111,000 spectators attended the World Cup, England Netball are optimistic that this summer’s success has provided further inspiration for those women and girls watching on.