Netball in Zimbabwe: Towards a Social History

This paper traces the evolution of netball as a sport in Zimbabwe. The analysis builds on the success of the Zimbabwe netball national team at the 2019 World Cup in Liverpool, England. This newly found interest in the sport has also highlighted the paucity of related academic studies. The social historical analysis is utilized to trace the development of netball from its colonial roots into post-colonial Zimbabwe. The analysis takes into cognizance the fact that netball in Zimbabwe has been confined to the margins, mainly due to the fact that it has been historically played by women, though recently men are defying societal norms to play the sport. Netball's history, therefore, is understood within a context in which sport has acted as a vehicle of the patriarchal expectations of society. It is only through the exceptional performances of the Zimbabwe senior women's netball team on debut at the Netball World Cup in 2019 that the sport attracted a national spotlight, becoming a source of national pride, and dominating national conversations.