Netball players and officials are defending the sport after podcast hosts described adult women playing netball as 'bizarre'. The backlash follows comments made on the Wednesdays podcast by hosts Melissa Tattam and Ruby Adler, who said they could not understand why women would choose to play netball after work.
Podcast Comments Spark Backlash
During a recent episode, Tattam exclaimed: 'We don't have to do that anymore!' Adler added: 'I don't think you could pay me enough to go to a netball club. I didn't want to do it in school, I don't want to do it now.' The pair also said they found it 'bizarre' that women would willingly use their free will to play netball, with Adler remarking: 'I can't imagine trekking to Battersea on a Tuesday night to play goal attack.'
The comments were not well received by the netball community. Tattam and Adler were branded 'mean girls' on social media, and the clip has since been removed from TikTok.
Sport's Popularity and Credibility
Netball is the most popular team sport for women in England, with 3 million players annually. In London and the South East alone, there are nearly 500 active clubs. At the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, netball was the most well attended sport, with 100,000 tickets sold.
Despite its popularity, netball continues to fight for credibility among the wider sporting community. It has never been played at the Olympics, and many elite players still balance their commitments with full or part-time jobs.
Officials and Players Respond
Kate Peers, strategic lead of campaigns at Sport England, which runs the This Girl Can campaign, said: 'No sport that women enjoy should be called "bizarre". Around 280,000 women regularly play netball in England; it's a thriving community.'
Peers added: 'The sport faces sexist stereotypes of being a "girls" game. This Girl Can celebrates women getting active in all ways, and netball plays an important part in tackling the gender activity gap.'
A Netball England spokesperson said: 'We're proud that there is a place on court for women and girls from 5 to 95. Netball is a sport for life, that has been built by women, for women over the past 100 years.' They stressed how the sport brings women together, adding that 'at the heart of all of it is community — a safe place where women and girls can belong, flourish and soar.'
Players Share Their Experiences
Katy, 41, from Essex, joined a netball club to make friends when she moved to London in her 20s. She said: 'Aside from being more fun than going to the gym and the obvious health benefits, I just found the most brilliant group of women, all incredible humans, doing brilliantly in their respective careers. There is something about how playing team sport shapes you as a person.'
She added: '15 years later, these girls became bridesmaids and are now aunties to my children. More recently, after a bout of post-partum anxiety and depression, netball has helped me to come back to myself, surrounded by friends and women that understand the challenges that different life stages throw up. There is no better feeling than those two hours of netball and I completely understand why it's the most popular team sport for women.'
Samantha Bird, CEO and director of netball at Super League team London Pulse, said: 'For busy women, netball can be a brilliant combination of exercise and socialising, without feeling like another commitment.' She added that being a London Pulse fan is about belonging, watching some of the best female athletes in the country, and having visible role models for the next generation.
Emily Morris, 40, who was Netball Club Captain at her university and currently plays in Surrey League Netball, said: 'Team sports aren't for everyone, but I much prefer turning around a netball court with friends than a session in the gym. I've made some of my best friends from playing throughout the years and you don't have to be a professional to enjoy it.'
Eloise Alexander Gueye, 37, has been playing since she was seven and has created a footwear brand specifically for netball players. She said: 'Not only is it a laugh with my friends, and a fun way to unwind after a long day, it builds confidence, gives you the freedom to take up space, and teaches resilience.'
