We play on Wednesday evenings, at Alec Hunter Academy in Braintree. Full address: Alec Hunter Academy, Stubbs Ln, Braintree CM7 3NR.

How to get here: Parking at Alec Hunter Academy is usually straightforward, with onsite parking available. The venue can be reached via local buses from Braintree town centre. For the most precise and up to date info, we recommend checking online to view the public transport in Braintree that will take you to Alec Hunter Academy at the specific day and time you need.

Social netball is all about playing in a fun, friendly, and welcoming environment, where skill, age, ability and netball experience doesn't matter! Teams compete against each other and league tables are kept, but it's more of a 'friendly competition', with the atmosphere being much more relaxed than typical club netball. It’s a great way to stay active, meet people, and enjoy regular weekly games.

Yes absolutely! Our netball league at Alec Hunter Academy is specifically designed to be open to all abilities, from complete beginners to experienced players. Some players join after years away from the game, while others play regularly every week. The leagues are designed to be inclusive, social, and enjoyable for everyone.

Our netball leagues are for women aged over 18 years old. Most players are aged between 25–50, although we have many players, both younger and older, taking part too. Ability levels vary from beginners and casual social players through to experienced players looking for more games. Everybody joins knowing the 'vibe' of the league, so even if another player plays high-level netball elsewhere, they've joined our group at Alec Hunter Academy for the same reasons you have; fun, friendships and fitness.

Each team pays the same cost per game (£47.5) That figure is multiplied by the number of weeks in the season. The season total is then divided equally between you and your teammates. This is paid in advance via the same platform you use to register with us (Magic League) and will cover all season costs including the umpires!

You will play Indoor netball matches at Alec Hunter Academy each week, and unless specifically told otherwise by us or the venue staff, matches will typically go ahead in most weather conditions. If there are any cancellations or changes, players will always be contacted as early as possible. For more information, please refer to our Play Netball Extreme Weather Policy PDF.

Just wear comfortable sports clothing and suitable trainers or netball trainers if you have them. Make sure to bring a bottle of water and arrive a little early for your first game so you can meet the coordinator and your team. Your team will have already organised netball bibs before your first game. Netballs are provided each week!

There will be times where you can't make certain dates, and that's fine! We just ask that you are honest with your team about your availability, and to help source another player to cover your position for the games that you'll miss.

Absolutely. Many players join after years away from netball, and we can't wait for you to come and play at Alec Hunter Academy! We have the same group of umpires that come every Wednesday, and they will be happy to help explain rules, positions, and gameplay basics if you need a refresher. Rules refresh: https://www.play-netball.co.uk/rules-and-regulations

You don't need a team to join! Most players join as individual players, but you can register a whole team if you want to. If you join as an individual player, you'll be placed into a team with other new players looking to join, or into a team that's currently playing and needs an extra player.

All you need to do is register to play netball with us via the Braintree Wednesday page online, and we will be in touch! If you join as an individual player, we’ll place you into a suitable team as soon as possible. Most players are able to start within a few weeks, depending on team availability, or when the next season is due to start.
When you've been given a team, a WhatsApp group will either be created for your new team, or you'll be added into an existing chat if you're entering an existing team.

Yes, if you already know someone in the league, just let us know when you register and we’ll do our best to place you together. Friends can often join existing teams later in the season if there is space available.

We can't usually offer a 'trial' session to players hoping to join as there isn't available court or player space during our weekly league matches. We organise our seasons and fixtures to suit the total number of teams in the league. A team cannot play in the league unless there are 7 or more players available, which means that all fixtures for the season are organised on the basis that teams are full and committed to play. This unfortunately means that there isn't a slot for new players to play a trial session.

Absolutely. Smaller groups of friends can join together and we’ll normally combine you with other players to create a full team. Just let us know after you register who you would like to play with.

Yes, you can register an entire team online through the league page. Once registered, you’ll receive information about fixtures, payments, and the season start date.

You'll play 1 match with your team every Wednesday, and matches will play every 40 mins between 7-9pm. You'll receive all your team's fixture times for the whole season in advance after you register and confirm your team space. We recommend coming to the court with enough time to safely warm-up and get sorted before the whistle!

You will play Indoor netball matches at Alec Hunter Academy every Wednesday.

The length of the season depends on how many teams and divisions there are in the league. Typically, a season runs between 8-14 weeks.

Individual players are grouped together to create new teams based on date of registration, position preferences, and availability to start.
Before your first match, you’ll receive information about your team, fixtures, and where to meet on the night.

Our Braintree Wednesday league currently has 1 division. We always want to grow our leagues, but this depends on court availability and space at Alec Hunter Academy. Fixture results are recorded after each match, and you'll be able to see your team's progress throughout the season on the league table. If there's more than 1 division, teams will move up/down between division depending on their points total. But remember, it's all just for fun!

Umpires are provided, and we aim to always have at least 2 umpires per court for all matches each evening at Alec Hunter Academy. We select umpires that have great experience, are qualified or are in-training.
A Play Netball coordinator will also be at the venue to help organise the umpires, help with fixtures, answer any player questions, and generally support everyone on the night.

Teams will provisionally organise positions themselves each week. You'll then find that players will slot into a regular position once everyone has got to know each other’s strengths and preferred roles. Teams are asked to choose a captain to help organise communication and substitutions in the team, although this is usually informal in social leagues.

Magic League is the secure, online player and payment management system, which you'll first use when registering to play netball in Braintree. Magic League is intended to be used by players, teams, officials and Play Netball staff to organise, record and view fixtures and results. It's also used to make team management easier, enabling you to split payments between teammates, and pay your portion of the season fee when needed.

There's 1 Play Netball league in Braintree, with matches playing every Wednesday.