Netball builds bridges in Malaga: Alhaurín club unites women through sport and community

Wednesday, 4 June 2025, 13:04

The south of Spain is a melting pot of cultures, all looking to fit in and find a sense of belonging in a warm nation. Besides keeping us fit and healthy, sport is a solid bridge, where meeting in the middle doesn’t require speaking the same language.

These are precisely the two factors that the founders of the women’s Alhaurín Netball Club bonded over three years ago: a dynamic sport and a link between expats and Spaniards. The club brings together women not only from Alhaurín de la Torre, where its headquarters are, but also from other towns in Malaga province (Alhaurín el Grande, Coín, Cártama, Torremolinos and even Benalmádena).

As chair of the club Patrice Terry says, the fundamental make-up of its members are “mothers and daughters from all walks of life and various cultural backgrounds, who want to make friends, keep fit and belong to a community” where they support each other.

The club is expanding, with more members from the age of 12 up joining regular weekly training on Sundays. A new tradition of bi-annual tournaments has blossomed since 2024, when seven teams from the Costa and the UK take part. This rhythm was consolidated with the most recent tournament in March this year. Through such initiatives, the Alhaurín Netball Club, supported by Spain’s Asociación de Netball (ANE), endeavours to create a Spanish league, “where teams from across Spain can play competitively”.

What is netball and where is it popular?

Netball is a sport popular in certain, mostly English-speaking, countries like the UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It resembles basketball in that the objective is to score goals by passing a ball down the court and shooting it through a raised hoop. Unlike basketball, however, players can’t dribble or run with the ball. The key skills, as with many other sports, are teamwork, mutual support, strategy and communication, which makes it perfect for bridging the gap between expats and locals.

Netball initiatives are expanding in Spain

Although the sport remains relatively unknown in Spain, the creation of the Asociación de Netball España, in collaboration with Europe Netball, has helped it gain more recognition. As a result, grassroots clubs and teams have started to emerge along the Costa: Torre del Mar (NC), Marbella (NC), Manilva (NC) and, of course, the Alhaurin Netball Club.

Local governments have also seen the potential such a sport can hold, especially in smaller towns where Spaniards and foreigners live together. Alhaurín Netball Club’s team recognises the role that Alhaurín de la Torre’s town hall and councillor for sports Sergio Cortés have had in the sport’s growth and, most importantly, in endorsing the sense of belonging to a community of women.

In addition, sponsorships from companies such as Andajucya and The BBQ Experience prove that the sport is reaching people. The former enterprise even made it possible for the team to have their own netball dresses, which they now proudly wear during matches and tournaments.

What’s next for netball?

“The long-term goal is to continue making netball accessible to as many people as possible,” says vice-chair of the club Maria Noriega. Spain has recently been selected for three expansion programmes by Europe Netball, which would provide members with “the necessary coaching and umpiring training courses”.

In the meantime, Alhaurín Netball Club will continue to not only pursue success and growth, but also promote sportsmanship and fellowship between women, who are connected by more things than those that divide them.

Players of all abilities are welcome to join. You can get in touch with the team on their Facebook page and they will help you find a local team that is near you.

Official training sessions are Sundays in Alhaurín de la Torre from 10.30am to 12.30pm. There are also informal ‘Meet n Play’ training sessions at 7pm on Wednesdays in Alhaurín el Grande.

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