Today marks the last day of the 2024 Olympics, but among the sports on display there is one notable game that made its name in the county that’s missing from the games?

Netball has its origins in our very own Dartford more than 100 years ago and has since accumulated 20 million players worldwide – so what’s holding it back from the biggest global stage? Davina Jethwa reports...

Playing the sport is a shared school experience for most of us.

There’s a collective memory of reaching into a bag full of sweaty bibs, huffing while the captain chooses their friends first to be on their team, and arguing with opposition players whether the ball was in or out the lines.

And, while some of us may abandon the sport come the transition to secondary, others, particularly if you went to an all girls school, may become more competitively involved.

After all, there are 700,000 women and girls playing netball weekly.

The hugely popular sport, which is derived from the American game of basketball was first introduced by a Swedish woman living in Kent.

In 1895, PE teacher Martina Bergman-Österberg moved from Hempstead College to Dartford College in Oakfield Lane – the latter would soon become the birthplace of netball.

The women’s suffrage pioneer had purchased a large country house and converted the ballroom into a gymnasium, which was named the Bergman Österberg Physical Training College.

It was there that Martina taught her students the game – its restricted movements meant it was socially acceptable for girls to play at the time.

Unlike basketball, the rules mean players cannot dribble the ball and only hold it for a maximum of three seconds before deciding to either pass it or shoot.

It was a huge success and by 1901 Martina codified the rules of the game and had them published.

These regulations became the netball we all know and love today – they are even recognised by the the international governing body, World Netball.

Since its creation in the early 20th century, its popularity has soared, with over three million players annually in the UK.

It’s even crossed international waters, with the sport well-loved in commonwealth countries of Australia, Jamaica and South Africa.

By 1963 it had its own World Cup.

In 1998 it was added to the Commonwealth Games programme – 150,000 tickets to watch the Netball games in Birmingham were sold in 2022.

So why has netball never featured in the Olympics?

England Netball commented: “The quality of female sports will only improve if the athletes are in a position to be processional athletes.”

The overseers of the worldwide competition, the International Olympic Committee, require a sport to have an international federation.

This means it has a body which governs its game on the worldwide stage and adheres to the Olympic’s anti-doping and manipulation rules.

The International Netball Federation, now called World Netball, has been recognised by the IOC since 1995, but this does not mean it has automatic inclusion in the games.

A new stipulation in 2020 meant cities hosting the Olympics can put forward sports to be featured in their edition of the games.

We saw surfing and skateboarding in Tokyo four years ago and most recently, breakdancing in Paris.

We will continue to look at Olympic Inclusion, but not at the determent of the growth of netball

But with the next games being held in Los Angeles in 2028, it’s unlikely we will see netball featured – the sport does not have as big of a presence in the States.

World Netball added: “We will continue to look at Olympic Inclusion, but not at the determent of the growth of netball.”

But, the organisation has declared its intention to work with Netball Australia to campaign for the addition of the sport to the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.

The initiative makes sense considering Australia has won 12 of the 16 Netball World Cups.

To be added to the programme, the IOC must still approve it so it may be that we don’t actually see netball featured.

But, pardon the pun, it certainly is the sport’s best shot.