Netball: All-Island Schools Championship this weekend

Over 1,200 girls from 54 schools islandwide, will participate at the All-Island School Games Netball Championship 2016, sponsored by Bharti Airtel and organised by the Education Ministry's Dept of Health, Physical Education and Sports. 

The final rounds of the Netball championship will be held at St. Anne's College, Kurunegala, from Friday (9) to Sunday (11). 

During the Preliminary rounds held at Provincial level, over 13,000 girls from over 330 schools, in the age groups of Under (U)-19, U-17 and U-15 participated. 

Three schools from each age category qualified from the Provincial level to the final round, which is categorised as National level. 

"We understand the value of creating opportunities, as it helps foster talent and build youngsters up to international standards, paving the road towards the success of Sri Lanka's Sports. In this context, we are pleased to sponsor the 32nd All-Island School Games Netball Championships 2016, as it is a great opportunity to extend our support to further develop the sport. We are confident this platform will continue to inspire talented Netball players to become professional players in the future," stated MD-CEO Bharti Airtel Lanka, Jinesh Hedge. 

One of the oldest games in Sri Lanka, Netball was first played in 1921 by the Ceylon Guide Company at Kandy High School. 

The first Inter-School match was played between Kandy High School and CMS Ladies’ College, Colombo in 1925. In 1927, Netball was played by the Government Training College for the first time, which also aided in popularising the game around the country. 

By the 1930s, the game was played at Methodist College Colombo and Bishop’s College Colombo, and by the 1950s, most of the sports clubs in Sri Lanka were playing the game at international level.