Netball Positions | What Position Should You Play?
22 July 2019 • By - Emilie Adib
Want to get into netball but not sure which position you should play? Find out more about the different netball positions and decide for yourself.
Netball positions
A netball team has seven players on court at any one time. They take up the following netball positions:
- Goal Keeper (GK)
- Goal Defence (GD)
- Wing Defence (WD)
- Centre (C)
- Wing Attack (WA)
- Goal Attack (GA)
- Goal Shooter (GS)
Each netball player is only allowed in certain areas of the court. For a full breakdown of netball positions with visuals of their areas of play, visit our blog on netball rules.
Which Netball Position Should I Play?
Different types of netball players suit certain positions. The main factors that influence where you should play are build, agility, and marking and shooting ability.
While it’s true that players will perform better is some positions than others, you don’t have to restrict yourself to just one. In professional netball there is often rotation between positions. For example, a player may play as Wing Attack for one quarter of a match, but move to Centre for another quarter.
Positions and Attributes
| Position | Area of Play | Attributes | Alternative Position(s) |
| Goal Keeper (GK) | Allowed in the defensive third, including the shooting circle | Suits tall, strong players with good jumping and marking ability. Adept at blocking shots and intercepting passes into the shooting circle | Goal Defence |
| Goal Defence (GD) | Allowed in the defensive third and centre third, including the shooting circle | Suits tall players with good jumping and marking ability in the shooting circle. Able to intercept and drive the ball out of defence | Goal Keeper, Wing Defence |
| Wing Defence (WD) | Allowed in the defensive third and centre third, not including the shooting circle | Suits shorter, agile, defensive-minded players with good marking abilities. Intercepting and feeding the ball to the attackers is crucial for this role. | Centre, Wing Attack |
| Centre (C) | Allowed in all three thirds, but not either shooting circle | Suits shorter, fast players who are able to dictate play and switch easily between defence and attack. Agility and endurance are important for players in this position | Wing Defence, Wing Attack |
| Wing Attack (WA) | Allowed in the attacking third and centre third, not including the shooting circle | Suits shorter, agile, attack-minded players with great passing ability to feed the ball into ideal shooting positions. Good movement to open up space in the final third is also beneficial. | Centre, Wing Defence |
| Goal Attack (GA) | Allowed in the attacking third and centre third, including the shooting circle | Suits attack minded players with good shooting and passing ability to get into and set up the GS in the shooting circle. Height is a bonus but not essential for great shooters | Goal Shooter |
| Goal Shooter (GS) | Allowed in the defensive third, including the shooting circle | Suits taller players with great shooting ability and movement in the shooting circle to manoeuvre into ideal shooting positions | Goal Attack |
What next?
Know what position you want to play in? Get your teammates together and book at netball court near you through Playfinder.
