England Netball has released an Inclusive Kit Policy mandating that grassroots netball clubs offer choice
of kit for all participants from September 2027 onwards.
Research from Women in Sport shows that 64% of girls drop out of sport by the age of 16, while ASICS, in
partnership with Inclusive Sportswear and Mind, found that up to 70% would be more likely to take part if
they felt comfortable in their kit.*
With 3 million players annually, netball has the reach and responsibility to act. As a sport built by women,
for women, it is working to remove the barriers that push girls out of the game.
In 2025 England Netball issued guidance to its network of registered clubs and leagues recommending that
players were offered a choice of kit and reminding clubs that, whilst kit should be uniform in colour, not
everyone has to wear the same thing. Now this guidance has become policy, with the governing body
stating that from the start of the 2027-28 netball season, clubs playing at all levels of the sport up to and
including Regional League competitions must give players the choice to decide upon the kit they will be
most comfortable competing in. The policy is accompanied by updated guidance which includes
explanations of the policy and advice for clubs and leagues as they look to make any required changes to
their respective policies and kit offerings.
England Netball Chief Executive Officer Fran Connolly said: "We want netball to be somewhere that
everyone can belong, flourish and soar and, as the sport continues to grow at all levels, there is no doubt
that the question of kit is an important one. Mandating our inclusive kit guidance as policy is an important
step in removing perceived barriers to participation and ensuring our sport is inclusive and open to all.
"Importantly, the policy does not ban the use of dresses, which remain a proud and recognisable part of
our sport's history, but it does act to ensure that the dress is never the reason that someone feels they
don't belong in the sport, removing kit policy as a potential barrier to participation in netball."