From the outside, an international sports event looks simple. Teams arrive, matches are played, medals are awarded, and photos are taken. But what happens on the field is only the visible outcome of months of planning, coordination and decision-making that most teams never see.

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2025 was one of those years that remind you why sport matters. Not just for the competition, but for everything around it: the planning, the travel, the shared moments between teams from different cultures, and the quiet pride of seeing people enjoy Portugal through the game.

When young athletes step onto the pitch, the court or the field against a team they’ve never faced before, something important happens. They meet unfamiliar movement patterns, different tactical ideas and a rhythm of play they don’t fully recognise. And in that moment, the game becomes more than competition: it becomes a lesson.

The first edition of the Portugal Netball Festival, organised by Move Sports in partnership with Netball Portugal, took place on the 1st and 2nd of November 2025 in Lisbon, and it delivered exactly what it promised: competitive matches, international spirit and plenty of fun.