Manchester to Host 2031 Netball World Cup as England Targets Grassroots Growth

England will host the Netball World Cup for the fourth time in 2031, with Manchester’s Co-op Live confirmed as the venue for the tournament’s 18th edition. The news came in England Netball’s centenary year and Baroness Sue Campbell, Chair of the England Netball Board, has set out an ambitious target alongside it: making netball the country’s leading arena sport.

Co-op Live, the UK’s largest indoor arena, first hosted a ball sport event when it was the venue for the Netball Super League Grand Final in June. Manchester Thunder won in front of 9,000 spectators, and the arena is preparing for crowds of up to 15,000 for the World Cup.

“Being awarded the World Cup in 2031 is a landmark moment for our sport and also for women’s sport generally,” said Campbell. “We see it as an opportunity to increase our profile as a sport, but also to grow a future generation of young people who want to play our game.”

When Liverpool hosted the tournament in 2019, 112,000 tickets were sold. Its biggest effect, though, was felt in clubs and sports halls across the country.England Netball reported that around 160,000 women were inspired to take up the sport afterwards. Visits to its online session finder rose by 1,000% after the event. Reports at the time said 71% of clubs saw more people interested in playing than before the tournament, and 9,900 people registered to volunteer.

Those numbers show the wider benefit of a home tournament: grassroots clubs take in the new players, train the new coaches and find space for the new volunteers. With five years to go, clubs have time to get ready for the next surge.

Campbell said the impact would reach well beyond England. She pointed to the recent Commonwealth Games, where netball drew packed crowds and many young people saw the sport played at that level for the first time. “We’re very keen that the opportunities are there for youngsters to watch, be inspired and want to be involved,” she said.

Netball at grassroots level now goes well beyond traditional league play. Back to Netball sessions welcome women returning to the sport. Walking Netball offers a gentler version for older players and those managing injuries. Mixed netball has opened the game up to boys and men.

England Netball was formed in 1926 as the Netball Association and Campbell said the sport remains proud of its roots even as it widens its reach: “Although we are opening our doors to boys and men, and we’ve got mixed netball as well, we’re very, very proud that this is a sport run by women for women,” she said.

The 2031 tournament will follow a run of home events in women’s football, rugby and cricket during the 2020s. A World Cup can fill an arena for a fortnight, but the hope is that it will go on to fill the grassroots clubs as a result.