Netball France Ligue Nationale

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR A MATCH EVENT (AND THEREFORE ENTER THE LIGUE)CLICK HERE TO APPLY TO HOST A MATCH OR MATCH EVENT

LEAGUE BASICS

The Netball France Ligue Nationale Saison 2024/2025 will run from 12th October 2023 to 29th June 2024. 

As in previous seasons, the league will run as one competition, with one table across the country. There are no required dates for matches, and teams are not required to play all other teams or participate in all match events. Pre-registration for the league is no longer required, registering for a match counts as your registration to the league, and can be done at any point throughout the season. Flexibility has been retained in order to allow as much match play as possible in the current context of netball in France!

Games must consist of 4 x 12 minute quarters. This is slightly shorter than standard match length to allow more matches to fit in 1 day for travelling teams and to ensure consistency across the table. Games will be played according to the new World Netball Rules of Netball (January 2024), except where specific league rules and regulations may apply. 

The Netball France Ligue Nationale is mixed gender, and all genders are welcome. However, host teams may choose to open their events to mixed & female teams or female teams only. This will be clearly communicated on all event invites so teams can choose if they would like to enter a mixed event. There is a maximum of 3 male players per team on court at a time, with a maximum of one male player in each position group (Attack – GS, GA; Mid – WA, C, WD; Defence – GD, GK).

Any member organisation may enter an unlimited number of teams into the league, and may enter additional teams at any point throughout the season.

An entered team does not need to be associated with an existing Netball France member association, and may be a group of athletes from across multiple associations.

For further information, please refer to the Info Pack, Rules & Regulations, or email ligues@netballfrance.com

LEAGUE TABLE

The Netball France Ligue Nationale Saison 2024/2025 Table will be updated on the first Wednesday of each month. Return here on 06/11/2024 for the next update.

In order to qualify to enter the table, a team must have played a minimum of two matches, one of which must be against an opposition >200km away from their home base (‘qualifying match’). Please note that this match does not have to be an away match, only that your home bases must be that distance apart.

Until a team qualifies to enter the table by satisfying the above, all league results will be recorded and points earned towards a ranking, however teams will be listed below the table until they have qualified, at which point they will enter the table.

As in previous systems, the table will be compiled on a ranking and rating system, however the system has been updated for the 2024/2025 season.

A team’s ranking is their position on the table. Rankings are determined by listing the teams in order of ratings, highest to lowest.

A team’s rating is their average points per match, calculated by dividing the total number of points by number of matches they have played.

For each match, points are awarded to each team as follows: Points Earned = Opposition Team Offset Points + Result Points.

team offset points

A Team’s Offset Points reflect the ranking of a team, from -2 points for the lowest ranked teams to +2 points for the highest ranked teams. A team’s initial Team Offset Points will be determined using the Coupe de France de Netball (CDFDN24) rankings.

  • CdF positions 1-3: +2
  • CdF positions 4-6: +1
  • CdF positions 7-11: 0
  • CdF positions 12-14: -1
  • CdF positions 15-17: -2

When entering a team for the first match event, clubs will be asked to specify which, if any, of their Coupe de France teams best reflects the level of that league team. If a club or team did not compete in the Coupe de France 2024, they will receive a default starting offset of zero.

A team will keep their initial offset until they qualify to enter the table. At this point, their offset will be determined by their current position on the league table based on the results of matches played, using the same scale from -2 to +2, with the number of teams at each offset adjusted based on the number of teams on the table.

result points

Result points will be as follows:

  • 6 points for a win
  • 3 points for a draw
  • 2 points for a loss within 5 goals of the winner’s score
  • 1 point for a loss scoring more than 50% of the winner’s score
  • 0 points for a loss scoring less than 50% of the winner’s score
what this looks like

Points awarded for a match will be a total of the result points and the opposition team offset. In this way, teams gain more points for a win against higher ranked teams, and less points for a win against lower ranked teams. The maximum number of points that can be awarded for a match is 8 (+6 result points for a win and +2 Team Offset Points for a high ranked opposition), and the minimum is -2 (0 for a loss and -2 Team Offset Points for a lower ranked opposition).

A team’s total points across the season will then be divided by the number of matches they have played, which will give their rating. Teams will be ranked in order of their rating. The winner of the league at the end of the season will be the team with the highest rating, i.e. highest average points per match, and therefore ranked first.

To determine the position on the table where two or more teams are level on rating, positions will be determined on goal difference, then average goals scored per match, then greatest number of matches. Should none of these differentiate between the teams, they will share the position on the table.

LEAGUE DOCUMENTS

LEAGUE FAQ

Please find below answers to common questions or issues some of our teams have asked/faced:

When are the matches? Is there a calendar?

The Netball France Ligue Nationale Saison 2024/2025 will run from October 12th 2024 to June 29th 2025, and matches may be arranged by clubs on any dates in this period.  Competing teams are not required to play all other teams or participate in all match events.

When a club has a venue available and is willing to host other teams for matches, they submit a proposal for a match event at https://forms.gle/dRgsSDor11414T5PA.  All clubs/teams are then invited to the event via email, and can apply to attend if they are able.

This is to allow maximum flexibility, both for clubs with venues to host matches who often have little influence on or notice of when it can be available, and for teams competing, to be able to tailor the matches they attend to the requirements of their players.

What is the format of a match day/event?

The format of a match day or event can be different each time, depending on the number of teams attending and their travel requirements. Sometimes it might be a singular match, a full day event with multiple matches, or a full weekend event across multiple days. However, typically each team will play 2-3 matches during the day – all matches in the Netball France Ligue Nationale are 4 x 12 minute quarters, to allow for best flexibility when trying to fit multiple matches in for travelling teams and ensure consistency on the Table.

Our players aren’t available for a large portion of the season!

No problem!  Match events will be scheduled regularly throughout the season, and you are free to only attend events when you have a team available.

Entering a team into the league does not commit you to playing a minimum number of matches, or indeed any matches at all!  Registration for a match event registers you to the ligue, but there is no requirement to participate in further events. You can apply to enter/compete in match events as and when your team is able to.

How do we enter a team?

Registering to attend a match event counts as your ligue registration, and can be done at any point throughout the season at https://forms.gle/X4ZriWwBGEZ9dTLn6

Why do we have to play a team outside our region?

Netball clubs in France are spread across the whole country and many have no local opposition to play against, and/or little access to local facilities in which to play.

The intent of this rule is NOT to penalise these teams.  It is to encourage clubs to host other teams where it’s possible to do so, and to travel to other teams when they can, to provide more match play opportunities for everyone.  It is also to avoid mini-local leagues occurring within the national league, where teams close to each other only ever play each other.  In order to qualify for the national table, teams must play against other opposition, to provide more meaningful ranking results, and to encourage more match opportunities for everyone.

**Please note, it is not required to travel outside your region to play a qualifying match.  A qualifying match may be played by hosting a team from outside your region at your own venue, or by attending a nearby match event that is also attended by teams outside your region.  This rule is intended to encourage a variety of matches between different teams across France, not to penalise teams who are unable to travel.

We’d like to play, but our players can’t/won’t travel outside our region to play, so how do we qualify?

That’s no problem!  You do NOT have to travel outside your region to play a qualifying match.  A qualifying match (against a team based more than 200km from your home base) may be played by hosting a team from outside your region at your own venue, or by attending a nearby match event that is also attended by teams outside your region.  This rule is intended to encourage a variety of matches between different teams across France, not to penalise teams who are unable to travel.

We sometimes have enough members for a second team, but struggle with variable availability!

No problem! We really want to encourage clubs to enter multiple teams whenever they can as this gives more court time for everyone, and more possibilities for teams to play other teams of a similar level and therefore have more competitive matches. If you have players who are willing and able to play, we want to let them play wherever possible!

If your club has enough players available to enter a second (or third!) team to a match event, at any point in the season, you may enter a new team at that point, and move some players to the new team.  You will be asked at that point to specify which is the “A” team and which is the “B” team.  Don’t worry, this does not commit you to always entering two teams, or leave you short of players for future matches as there is flexibility in playing across teams for the same club.

If you have slightly more than one squad available, and you’re unsure how the player eligibility rules will impact your club if you enter a second team, please feel free to get in touch at ligues@netballfrance.com to discuss!

Please note, this change is designed to encourage more match opportunities for more players to enjoy the sport and develop their skills, not to permit the use of “ringers” or “stacking” teams to gain a performance advantage.  We ask all clubs to respect the spirit and intention of allowing this flexibility. The LWG group reserves the right to revisit these restrictions during the season if it becomes clear that clubs are not making team selections in line with this intention.

We have two teams but the players aren’t split by level of playing ability, so we can’t nominate an A and B team?

Don’t worry! The aim of the rules is not to dictate how clubs organise teams internally. It is to be as flexible as possible, to allow as many people and teams to play as possible, while preventing teams from using “ringers” or “stacking” teams to gain a performance advantage. If your club has entered multiple teams, and they are not split by ability, just arbitrarily assign them A & B – you can assign players between the teams as works best for your club.  

Please note, this change is designed to encourage more match opportunities for more players to enjoy the sport and develop their skills, not to permit the use of “ringers” or “stacking” teams to gain a performance advantage.  We ask all clubs to respect the spirit and intention of allowing this flexibility. The LWG group reserves the right to revisit these restrictions during the season if it becomes clear that clubs are not making team selections in line with this intention.

How much does it cost?

Nothing upfront!  We know teams may be unsure how much they can commit in advance, so we want to encourage you to register for the league without financial commitment and allow you to play based on your involvement.

When you play matches, you will be charged a small match fee per team:

  • €20 per team per match for Full Member Clubs, with a cap of €40 per event
  • €35 per team per match for Associate Member Clubs, with a cap of €70 per event
  • €50 per team per match for Emerging Member Clubs, with a cap of €100 per event
  • No costs for matches against Netball France Development Hub Teams

How do we pay our match fees?

The total match fees for your team for a match event (calculated based on match team sheets) will be invoiced to your team/club by Netball France after the event via e-mail.  

You do not need to bring cash to the match, and you do not need to give your Netball France match fees to the host club.  You should pay match fees directly to Netball France when invoiced.  How you arrange collection or payment of these match fees within your own club is of course up to you!

What are the match fees for?

Any profit from the league will be reinvested into the league and/or go towards Netball France initiatives such as umpiring training, coaching programmes, the schools programme, etc. Umpiring training and development is a key priority for the league in order to improve standards of match play and safety of all participants, and this is a key priority for profit from league fees. 

We don’t have any qualified umpires!

No problem! Match umpires do not need to be qualified at this stage. We expect that as Netball France introduces umpire training programmes, in the future we will require league umpires to at least be part of a training programme, but that’s for the future! For now, to get everyone playing, we will use unqualified umpires. All teams and players in the league will need to be aware and accept that this means you may come across variable standards of umpiring, as less experienced umpires learn and gain confidence. As with all netball competition, we expect all players, coaches and spectators to show respect for the umpires and abide by their decisions, regardless of the qualification status of the umpire.  

Each team is required to arrange an umpire for their own team’s matches. You may use one of your own players if they are not playing in the match, swap umpires with another team and umpire each others matches, or bring in an external umpire (any costs associated with this are to be covered and arranged within your own team).

Host clubs may not charge visiting teams for umpiring unless they are providing umpires for all matches.

We don’t want to play mixed matches!

No problem! We appreciate some players would prefer to play single-sex netball. Host clubs will indicate on the match event details if the event is open to mixed or female-only teams, so teams can choose not to attend mixed events.  

Similarly, depending on the teams attending, it may be possible to only play all-female teams, even at a match event that includes mixed teams (as teams don’t have to play every other team at a match event) – discuss this with the host club if interested, to see if it’s feasible.

When are the matches? Is there a calendar?

The Netball France Ligue Nationale Saison 2024/2025 will run from October 12th 2024 to June 29th 2025, and matches may be arranged by clubs on any dates in this period.  Competing teams are not required to play all other teams or participate in all match events.

When a club has a venue available and is willing to host other teams for matches, they submit a proposal for a match event at https://forms.gle/dRgsSDor11414T5PA.  All clubs/teams are then invited to the event via email, and can apply to attend if they are able.

This is to allow maximum flexibility, both for clubs with venues to host matches who often have little influence on or notice of when it can be available, and for teams competing, to be able to tailor the matches they attend to the requirements of their players.

What is the format of a match day/event?

The format of a match day or event can be different each time, depending on the number of teams attending and their travel requirements. Sometimes it might be a singular match, a full day event with multiple matches, or a full weekend event across multiple days. However, typically each team will play 2-3 matches during the day – all matches in the Netball France Ligue Nationale are 4 x 12 minute quarters, to allow for best flexibility when trying to fit multiple matches in for travelling teams and ensure consistency on the Table.

Our players aren’t available for a large portion of the season!

No problem!  Match events will be scheduled regularly throughout the season, and you are free to only attend events when you have a team available.

Entering a team into the league does not commit you to playing a minimum number of matches, or indeed any matches at all!  Registration for a match event registers you to the ligue, but there is no requirement to participate in further events. You can apply to enter/compete in match events as and when your team is able to.

How do we enter a team?

Registering to attend a match event counts as your ligue registration, and can be done at any point throughout the season at https://forms.gle/X4ZriWwBGEZ9dTLn6

Why do we have to play a team outside our region?

Netball clubs in France are spread across the whole country and many have no local opposition to play against, and/or little access to local facilities in which to play.

The intent of this rule is NOT to penalise these teams.  It is to encourage clubs to host other teams where it’s possible to do so, and to travel to other teams when they can, to provide more match play opportunities for everyone.  It is also to avoid mini-local leagues occurring within the national league, where teams close to each other only ever play each other.  In order to qualify for the national table, teams must play against other opposition, to provide more meaningful ranking results, and to encourage more match opportunities for everyone.

**Please note, it is not required to travel outside your region to play a qualifying match.  A qualifying match may be played by hosting a team from outside your region at your own venue, or by attending a nearby match event that is also attended by teams outside your region.  This rule is intended to encourage a variety of matches between different teams across France, not to penalise teams who are unable to travel.

We’d like to play, but our players can’t/won’t travel outside our region to play, so how do we qualify?

That’s no problem!  You do NOT have to travel outside your region to play a qualifying match.  A qualifying match (against a team based more than 200km from your home base) may be played by hosting a team from outside your region at your own venue, or by attending a nearby match event that is also attended by teams outside your region.  This rule is intended to encourage a variety of matches between different teams across France, not to penalise teams who are unable to travel.

We sometimes have enough members for a second team, but struggle with variable availability!

No problem! We really want to encourage clubs to enter multiple teams whenever they can as this gives more court time for everyone, and more possibilities for teams to play other teams of a similar level and therefore have more competitive matches. If you have players who are willing and able to play, we want to let them play wherever possible!

If your club has enough players available to enter a second (or third!) team to a match event, at any point in the season, you may enter a new team at that point, and move some players to the new team.  You will be asked at that point to specify which is the “A” team and which is the “B” team.  Don’t worry, this does not commit you to always entering two teams, or leave you short of players for future matches as there is flexibility in playing across teams for the same club.

If you have slightly more than one squad available, and you’re unsure how the player eligibility rules will impact your club if you enter a second team, please feel free to get in touch at ligues@netballfrance.com to discuss!

Please note, this change is designed to encourage more match opportunities for more players to enjoy the sport and develop their skills, not to permit the use of “ringers” or “stacking” teams to gain a performance advantage.  We ask all clubs to respect the spirit and intention of allowing this flexibility. The LWG group reserves the right to revisit these restrictions during the season if it becomes clear that clubs are not making team selections in line with this intention.

We have two teams but the players aren’t split by level of playing ability, so we can’t nominate an A and B team?

Don’t worry! The aim of the rules is not to dictate how clubs organise teams internally. It is to be as flexible as possible, to allow as many people and teams to play as possible, while preventing teams from using “ringers” or “stacking” teams to gain a performance advantage. If your club has entered multiple teams, and they are not split by ability, just arbitrarily assign them A & B – you can assign players between the teams as works best for your club.  

Please note, this change is designed to encourage more match opportunities for more players to enjoy the sport and develop their skills, not to permit the use of “ringers” or “stacking” teams to gain a performance advantage.  We ask all clubs to respect the spirit and intention of allowing this flexibility. The LWG group reserves the right to revisit these restrictions during the season if it becomes clear that clubs are not making team selections in line with this intention.

How much does it cost?

Nothing upfront!  We know teams may be unsure how much they can commit in advance, so we want to encourage you to register for the league without financial commitment and allow you to play based on your involvement.

When you play matches, you will be charged a small match fee per team:

  • €20 per team per match for Full Member Clubs, with a cap of €40 per event
  • €35 per team per match for Associate Member Clubs, with a cap of €70 per event
  • €50 per team per match for Emerging Member Clubs, with a cap of €100 per event
  • No costs for matches against Netball France Development Hub Teams

How do we pay our match fees?

The total match fees for your team for a match event (calculated based on match team sheets) will be invoiced to your team/club by Netball France after the event via e-mail.  

You do not need to bring cash to the match, and you do not need to give your Netball France match fees to the host club.  You should pay match fees directly to Netball France when invoiced.  How you arrange collection or payment of these match fees within your own club is of course up to you!

What are the match fees for?

Any profit from the league will be reinvested into the league and/or go towards Netball France initiatives such as umpiring training, coaching programmes, the schools programme, etc. Umpiring training and development is a key priority for the league in order to improve standards of match play and safety of all participants, and this is a key priority for profit from league fees. 

We don’t have any qualified umpires!

No problem! Match umpires do not need to be qualified at this stage. We expect that as Netball France introduces umpire training programmes, in the future we will require league umpires to at least be part of a training programme, but that’s for the future! For now, to get everyone playing, we will use unqualified umpires. All teams and players in the league will need to be aware and accept that this means you may come across variable standards of umpiring, as less experienced umpires learn and gain confidence. As with all netball competition, we expect all players, coaches and spectators to show respect for the umpires and abide by their decisions, regardless of the qualification status of the umpire.  

Each team is required to arrange an umpire for their own team’s matches. You may use one of your own players if they are not playing in the match, swap umpires with another team and umpire each others matches, or bring in an external umpire (any costs associated with this are to be covered and arranged within your own team).

Host clubs may not charge visiting teams for umpiring unless they are providing umpires for all matches.

We don’t want to play mixed matches!

No problem! We appreciate some players would prefer to play single-sex netball. Host clubs will indicate on the match event details if the event is open to mixed or female-only teams, so teams can choose not to attend mixed events.  

Similarly, depending on the teams attending, it may be possible to only play all-female teams, even at a match event that includes mixed teams (as teams don’t have to play every other team at a match event) – discuss this with the host club if interested, to see if it’s feasible.