Empowering Girls Through Netball: United Through Sport’s Grassroots Initiative in Mauritius
United Through Sport (UTS) is proud to lead the grassroots introduction of netball in Mauritius, a movement that is rapidly gaining momentum and profoundly impacting the lives of young girls across the island. What began in 2023 with the arrival of our first group of netball coaches has since evolved into a thriving program. Today, 120 girls participate in netball sessions four times a week, with the potential for even greater growth in the near future.
Since the start of the program, we have built two locations equipped with netball rings, providing the infrastructure needed to develop the sport on the island. As we look ahead to 2025, our goal is to identify 10 to 18 new development sites and to establish sustainable programs where netball can continue to flourish.
With a vision to bring netball to 15 schools and establish 3 dedicated club or youth centre sites for after-school programs, UTS Mauritius is actively seeking additional resources and support to make this vision a reality.
One key challenge is securing netball equipment and rings for the selected sites. To help achieve this, our team is reaching out to organisations like World Netball and England Netball for guidance. By providing essential equipment, UTS Mauritius aims to ensure that girls from all backgrounds have access to quality facilities where they can learn, grow, and develop their skills.
We also continue to encourage experienced netball coaches to travel to Mauritius and deliver coaching across schools and youth centres. Several exceptional coaches have already contributed to this mission. Recently England Netball published an article in their monthly magazine where our netball coach Alice Clark, who visited this summer, shared her experience:
Having the opportunity to work with United Through Sport in Mauritius opened my eyes to how sport breaks down barriers in diverse communities. Supporting handball and basketball sessions helped me realise how transferable my coaching skills are, and I really enjoyed engaging with different sports.
Coaching netball to a group of young people from various age groups, many of whom had never heard of netball and didn’t speak English as their first language, really pushed me out of my comfort zone. Along with my co-coach, we delivered a netball launch event for the island, and 80 girls turned up, even making netball posts for us! It was a fantastic morning filled with excitement and enthusiasm. As a result of the event, we’ve gained support to start delivering netball to all girls’ schools in Mauritius.
For anyone interested in supporting this initiative—whether through coaching, donations, or providing equipment—UTS invites you to get involved. Together, we can continue to grow netball in Mauritius, offering young girls life-changing opportunities that will inspire their futures. Visit our website or contact us today to find out how you can contribute.
