As part of the ‘Back to Netball’ 2012 Roadshow, the sport will be promoted throughout the UK across a number of regional Olympic events and at dedicated London Live events in Hyde Park and Victoria Park.
The launch follows research from Sport England revealing that more than 338,000 women across the country no longer play any sport at all. However, in the past three years, netball has experienced a resurgence in popularity, with a 15% rise in participation.
This increase is particularly notable, as over the three years, the number of women playing sport has substantially diminished. In the East Midlands and the South East, 64,000 and 17,200 women respectively no longer participate in any sport, while in London and Newcastle, 29% fewer women are playing sport than in 2008.
According to the research, confidence has become a big barrier to activity, as well as not knowing about opportunities to play and struggling to afford the cost and dedicating the time necessary.
Ann Marie Manley, head of marketing at Freya Active, said: "We've launched the get 2012 women ‘Back to Netball in 2012' campaign to try and win women's love of sport back. It's about the only sport which women haven't dropped and there is a reason for that."
The 'Back to Netball' scheme, which is promoted by England Netball, is designed to encourage players over 16 to get active again and participate in sport.
The Freya Active brand launched in 2008 and partnered with England Netball as part of its ongoing strategy of educating women about the importance of sports bras.
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