Former England Netball president Lindsay Sartori is calling on netball fans to do their part this summer to ensure that netball remains part of the Commonwealth Games. The 69-year-old was born in London but her passion for netball flourished in Worthing, as a pupil at Our Lady of Sion School.
A former captain of the school's netball squad, she now leads young talent development with the Sussex County Netball Association and sits on the Netball South committee. The Commonwealth Games are one of two global events for netball, alongside the Netball World Cup, which will take place in Sydney next year.
Sartori hoped that fans would get involved and support netball, after the sport was included in a streamlined programme of sports for Glasgow 2026.
“I've got tickets for the finals weekend,” Sartori revealed, “and I've even splashed out on an expensive hotel, so it's a bit of a holiday for me!
“It's really important that netball has a world stage, and given we don't know about the future of the Commonwealth Games, it's absolutely critical that we have a world event to showcase our sport.
“It's up to netballers now to support the Commonwealth Games by subscribing to watch it on television, getting on the train to Glasgow, and by filling the Hydro. The Commonwealths are a stage for netball, and we must continue to be there. We're one of the few sports for primarily women and girls.
“So many people weren't able to see that gold medal match on the Gold Coast, but fingers crossed we can do it in Glasgow.”
Sartori also had one eye on whether netball would make a first appearance at the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games. World Netball’s petition for the International Olympic Committee to give netball an Olympic debut has been backed by more than 100,000 people.
Sartori, who oversaw England’s home 2019 Netball World Cup in Liverpool, spoke at the Masters Centenary Festival in Brighton, where senior age-group teams faced off over a two-day tournament.
She said: “I won't be happy until we know that it might be in the Olympics, and we're all looking forward to hearing about Brisbane 2032. Netball is played in so many different countries around the world, and is important in so many different countries, so I reiterate that we need a bigger world stage.
“If we can't do it in Australia, it'll be very hard to do it anywhere else.”
The Masters Centenary Festival celebrated 100 years of England Netball, originally founded as the All England Netball Association, creating a safe space for women and girls to play sport.
At Brighton Sport and Health Complex, at the University of Brighton, the tournament was played in the spirit of the historic Inter County Tournaments, where county sides came together every year from 1932 to 2006.
“Inter County was such a critical part of netball. It's no good having netball if you don't have competition,” Sartori added.“Special memories have been repeated and the teams couldn't all win, so they also had fun.
“It's rather a free spirit down here in Sussex. This Masters Centenary Festival has put Sussex on the map, and we look at Brighton being a potential venue for ‘grassroots plus’ competitions in the future.”
