President of the International Netball Federation (INF) Molly Rhone (pictured top, right) carried out the draw, which also saw fourth seeds England drawn against Barbados, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Ireland and Singapore, and Northern Ireland alongside New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Bermuda and Malta, for the 10-day tournament.

Witnessing the draw at the £113 million ($175 million/€134 million) Commonwealth Games venue, which is due host the WYNC on August 22 until 31, was chair of Glasgow Life and Glasgow 2014 executive member Archie Graham (pictured top, centre), chair of Netball Scotland Freda Hutchison and Netball Scotland chief executive Maggie Murray (pictured top, left), as well as members of the Scotland under-21 side.

This year's event, which is being support by EventScotland, will be the first international netball tournament to be staged in Scotland since 1987, when it hosted the World Netball Championships, and takes place less than a year before the city hosts the 2014 Commonwealth Games.


"This event, to be held in Glasgow's magnificent new Emirates Arena, draws together young netballers from a diversity of backgrounds and cultures, and promises to be a truly superb tournament," Rhone said.

"We anticipate there will be some closely fought matches not just between our top netballing nations but also amongst our new netball nations.

"We are delighted to welcome Israel, Malta, Namibia, Cayman, Bermuda and the Republic of Ireland to the World Youth Netball Championships for the first time.

"We are really looking forward to enjoying some exciting international netball in Glasgow in August 2013."

Meanwhile, UK Sport's director of major events, Simon Morton, explained that the match draw signals a significant landmark on Scotland's years of sport ahead.


"The match draw for the 2013 World Youth Netball Championships, to be staged in the Emirates Arena - one of the many fantastic venues built for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, marks the first step on the pathway for these young players as they compete to be part of a winning home nation team in August," he said.

"This World Championship event is not only important in its own right but will also play a key role in preparations for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

"With such a crossover in players between the youth [under 21] and the senior squads, supporters can expect to see many of the athletes that compete in August 2013 return to the Emirates Arena to challenge for Commonwealth gold one year later."

The full 2013 WYNC groups are as follows:

Group A – Australia, South Africa, Fiji, Israel, Namibia

Group B - New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Northern Ireland, Bermuda, Malta

Group C - Jamaica, Wales, Cayman Islands, Samoa, Scotland

Group D - England, Barbados, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Ireland, Singapore

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
September 2012: Emirates sign £5 million deal to sponsor Commonwealth Arena but will have to pay extra for Glasgow 2014
July 2011: Exclusive - Netball still hopeful of inclusion at Olympics despite missing out on 2020 Games