Men in the British Army are 'embracing netball' and joining mixed teams
More men are embracing netball and playing in mixed events, says a British Army team.
female dominated sport has been attracting more men to the court largely thanks to the growth of amateur teams with both men and women players.
"I'd never played before but now I love it," Sergeant Dan Woodvine told BBC South Today.
"The men who try it always come back. It's a physical sport and you know you've been in a proper game after."
History was made last month when the England men's netball team played their first ever international match against Sydney in Australia.
England Thorns squad was only assembled in March this year following pre-Covid try outs.
Army has one of the strongest men's netball setups in the south of England.
"I think the stereotype of it being a women's sport is slipping away," director of Army netball Lieutenant Colonel Laura Ellis said at a mixed tournament in Aldershot.
"It's quite challenging teaching men the game but they pick it up well. We've seen huge improvements and men who've never played the sport make the England squad eight months later."
"We had double the number of men at the mixed and men's national's this year compared to last 2021."
Even as recently as 2019 England Netball did not have figures for the number of men playing the sport.
re are currently about 10 men's netball clubs in the UK and there are hopes the military services could bolster that number in the future.
"The RAF and the Royal Navy are also looking at mixed netball teams," said John Killoran who is the secretary for Army Athletics.
"The ambition is to have an inter-service competition of mixed netball and then one day a men's event.
"The men love it and they've fully embraced the sport and it's getting bigger and bigger for them.
"It all came about when we noticed the UK armed forces netball team used to play against a men's squad from Jersey every year."
British Army is aiming for its men's netball team to play at least four times before its first proper exhibition game against a civilian team next spring.
mbition after that is to compete in a series of tournaments over the summer, including nationals.