The strong showing of the Under 21 team, Abu Dhabi-Dubai squad at the Asian Youth Netball Championships highlights the sport’s increasing potential in the UAE.

The all-female squad finished its stint in the seven-day competition with an impressive 3-2 win-loss record – not bad for a guest team with no previous international exposure.

Kim Solomon, development officer for Abu Dhabi Netball League, hopes the experience will pave the way for a solid UAE-based netball organisation that can officially represent the country in international competitions.

“We are currently trying to create a UAE Netball Federation,” Kim says. “The goal is to grow now that we’re starting to move into the international netball world. At this stage, we can only be invited and can’t go as UAE representatives until the federation is established.”

The Abu Dhabi Netball League, which has approximately 200 members, has been around since 1986. The league has been growing continuously but organisers are working hard to generate more interest to attract both local and expat players to bolster the roster.

And Kim says we can expect to hear more about the sport in the coming months.

“We’ve been invited to Korea and we’re looking to invite other teams here, especially the top ones,” she explains. “There’s the Inter-Gulf 30 to be hosted by Dubai Netball League
in March, a youth competition in August, and we have an invitation in Thailand.”

Want to join? Contact: info@netballabudhabi.com, abudhabinetballleague.com