Netball popularity on the rise in India: Federation president

New Delhi, July 2 (ANI): The President of the Netball Federation of India, Gurbir Singh, has said that the popularity of the sport is on the rise; and has been proved by the soon to be held seventh Asian Netball Championship.

The event is a test case for the October 2010 Commonwealth Games, and will start at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex here.

"The netball, being a compulsory sport for the Commonwealth Games, would provide a platform for exposing this little known sport to India." said Singh at a press conference.

"Since we are hosting the Commonwealth Games and netball is a core event, it means it is a compulsory event for any Commonwealth Games" Singh added.

"The players have improved. I have great expectations of them, because, I have followed their progress. They have been playing a lot of exposure matches, thanks to the funding made available by the Prime Minister in a big package, which is the training of the Indian teams through the international sports division, as you are all aware," Singh said.

This eight-day event will feature teams from six countries namely, India, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Thailand.

Netball is mostly popular in Commonwealth countries and is predominantly played by women. This will be an under-21 championship for which 22 girls are undergoing vigorous training. (ANI)