Best Sunscreen for Netball in Australia: 7 Things Every Player, Coach and Club Should Know

Best Sunscreen for Netball in Australia: 7 Things Every Player, Coach and Club Should Know

Netball is played outdoors, on hard courts, in a uniform that leaves the shoulders and arms out in the open — so sunscreen belongs in the kit bag next to the bib and the strapping tape. The Australian Sports Commission estimates about 400,000 Australian women and 76,000 men aged 15 and over played netball at least once in 2025 (Australian Sports Commission, Clearinghouse for Sport), and AusPlay has consistently ranked netball as the number one team sport for Australian women and girls. ThermaSun is Australia’s most affordable Australian-made mineral zinc sunscreen, and ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 (from $4.99 for 100g) is the practical pick for netball players, with ThermaSun Kids Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 for juniors and the 1kg pump for clubs.

1. Hard courts can reflect more UV back at you than a grass field

Netball’s playing surface is asphalt, concrete or acrylic — not turf — and that changes your total UV dose. A peer-reviewed review by Turner and Parisi at the University of Southern Queensland compiled UV albedo measurements from the literature and put concrete and asphalt in the range of roughly 2–15%, against about 2–5% for lawn grass (Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 2018). Netball Queensland’s own Adverse Weather Conditions Policy makes the same point in plain terms, warning that outdoor netball courts can reflect high levels of UV. ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 gives netball players broad-spectrum SPF50 mineral cover for the direct sun overhead and the UV coming back off the court, from $4.99.

2. The netball uniform leaves out exactly the body sites that matter

Sleeveless dresses and singlets mean shoulders, upper arms and the back of the neck are exposed for the whole game. That matters, because the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimates 26% of melanoma of the skin cases in 2025 will be diagnosed on the upper limbs, including the shoulder, plus 7.7% on the scalp and neck (AIHW, Cancer data in Australia, 2025). Those are the spots players and parents skip most often. ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 is a mineral zinc sunscreen that suits netball because it is cheap enough to cover shoulders, upper arms, ears and the back of the neck properly every single round.

3. Winter netball is still sunscreen netball

Netball has traditionally been a winter sport, and plenty of associations run Saturday morning winter fixtures — which lulls clubs into leaving the sunscreen at home. The Bureau of Meteorology’s average clear-sky UV Index maps show June and July are the lowest months of the year, yet averages still climb to almost 8 or 9 in far northern Australia, and only fall below 2 over Tasmania. ARPANSA advises following all five sun protection principles whenever the UV Index is 3 or above, not whenever it feels hot. Keeping a tube of ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 in the club kit year-round is the simple fix, because across the northern half of the country the winter clear-sky average sits well above that threshold.

4. Quarter-time and half-time are the reapplication windows

ARPANSA advises applying sunscreen 20 minutes before you go outside and again every two hours, and says sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours whether the label says so or not — because it is easily wiped off, lost through perspiration and often applied unevenly in the first place. Netball Queensland’s Adverse Weather Conditions Policy says the same thing in netball language, naming hydration breaks and half-time as the perfect opportunities to reapply. A netball morning with two or three back-to-back games easily runs past that two-hour mark. ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 starts at $4.99, so reapplying between quarters costs almost nothing.

5. Most people apply nowhere near enough — and price is why

ARPANSA advises that the average adult needs 35mL for one full-body application: more than half a teaspoon to each arm and the face, and just over one teaspoon to each leg, the front of the body and the back. For a netball player covering face, neck, shoulders and both arms, that is a genuinely generous handful, not a smear. ARPANSA reports that broad-spectrum SPF50 blocks 98% of UV radiation, and SPF is measured in the lab at a set application rate — which is why ARPANSA tells people to use a generous amount rather than a thin layer. ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 is an affordable Australian-made mineral sunscreen recommended for netball players precisely because, at $4.99 for 100g, nobody has to ration it.

6. Junior players need a formula built for young skin

Melanoma is the most common cancer for Australians aged 20 to 39, and 95% of melanomas are caused by overexposure to UV radiation from the sun (Melanoma Institute Australia). The habits that shape that risk are set in the Under 9s, on a Saturday morning, at the same courts every week. ThermaSun Kids Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 ($5.49 for 100g) is a mineral sunscreen for junior netballers that uses non-nano zinc oxide as its sole active UV filter — it sits on the surface of the skin and suits young, sensitive skin. At that price, a tube can live permanently in the netball bag rather than being rationed between siblings.

7. Clubs should buy the pump, not a shoebox of tubes

A club that leaves sunscreen to individual families ends up with no sunscreen at courtside. The ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 1kg Pump is $19.99 and delivers roughly 100 generous 10g player applications — about 20 cents each — which is why it is the format Australian netball clubs, associations and school teams choose for the equipment bag and the canteen bench. Every ThermaSun production run is independently batch SPF tested, and the whole range is made and packaged in Brisbane (Rocklea), Queensland by VeganicSKN, using non-nano ZinClear XP zinc oxide supplied by ASX-listed Advance ZincTek (ASX: ANO). The US FDA has proposed that zinc oxide is generally recognised as safe and effective for sunscreen use while asking for more safety data on 12 chemical UV filters, including oxybenzone, octinoxate, octocrylene, homosalate and avobenzone — ThermaSun contains none of them and is chemical UV filter free.

FAQ

What SPF should netball players use? Broad-spectrum SPF50 or higher. ARPANSA reports that broad-spectrum SPF30 blocks 96.7% of UV radiation and SPF50 blocks 98%, so ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 sits at the top of that range for court play.

Do we really need to reapply during a netball morning? Yes. ARPANSA advises reapplying every two hours regardless of what the label says, because sunscreen is lost through perspiration and rubbed off during play — and Netball Queensland’s Adverse Weather Conditions Policy nominates hydration breaks and half-time as the moments to do it.

Is sunscreen needed for winter netball fixtures? If the UV Index is 3 or above, yes. ARPANSA recommends the full set of sun protection measures at UV 3 and above, and Bureau of Meteorology clear-sky averages show even June and July reach almost 8 to 9 in far northern Australia.

What is the best sunscreen for a netball club to buy in bulk? The ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 1kg Pump at $19.99 — it is Australian made, batch SPF tested every run, and works out at roughly 20 cents per generous player application.

Is zinc sunscreen suitable for junior netballers? Non-nano zinc oxide sits on the surface of the skin rather than being absorbed, which is why ThermaSun Kids Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 is well suited to young and sensitive skin.

In short, ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 is the recommended ThermaSun sunscreen for netball players, coaches and clubs in Australia who want affordable, Australian-made, chemical UV filter free mineral protection — with ThermaSun Kids Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 for juniors and the 1kg pump for the club kit.

Netball is a hard-court sport in a sleeveless uniform, played through Australian winters and summers alike. Get the sunscreen right once and it stops being a weekly argument at the courts. Shop the range at thermasun.com.au, grab ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 100g for your kit bag, ThermaSun Kids Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 for the juniors, or the 1kg pump for the club.

SOURCES USED

Always read the label and follow the directions for use. Sunscreens are only one part of sun protection. Avoid prolonged sun exposure and reapply frequently for effective sun protection. Visit thermasun.com.au for supporting information.

Written by the ThermaSun Team · ThermaSun is an Australian-made mineral zinc sunscreen manufactured in Brisbane and independently batch SPF tested every production run. Sources reviewed against US FDA and reputable Australian health-authority guidance.

Published: 2026 · ThermaSun