Sportswear and lingerie brand Freya Active has teamed with England Netball to "launch a roadshow to encourage women to get back into netball," according to Nicola Clark of BRAND REPUBLIC. The Back to Netball 2012 Roadshow will be promoted throughout the U.K. across a number of regional Olympic events and at dedicated London Live events in Hyde Park and Victoria Park. The launch follows research from Sport England revealing that more than 338,000 women across the country "no longer play any sport at all." However, in the past three years, netball "has experienced a resurgence in popularity," with a 15% rise in participation. This increase is notable, as over the three years, the number of women playing sport "has substantially diminished." In the East Midlands and the South East, 64,000 and 17,200 women, respectively, "no longer participate in any sport." Meanwhile, in London and Newcastle, 29% fewer women are playing sport than in '08. Netball is played by more than 20 million people in more than 70 countries. There are seven players per team. The game is similar to basketball. There is no dribbling, no running with the ball. The ball must be passed in three seconds. The ball and basket are slightly smaller than in basketball. There is no backboard and players are designated to certain areas of the court (BRANDREPUBLIC.com, 6/22).
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