As a woman who has played netball for over 18 years and is a huge fan of the sport, when the Olympic Games roll around every four years I can’t help but wonder: why isn’t netball an Olympic sport?
It’s played by millions of people worldwide, and is showcased on the world stage at both the Commonwealth Games and the Netball World Cup, so what would it take to get it included in the Olympics?
20 million people across the globe play netball, and although it’s a sport that has traditionally only been played in Commonwealth nations, it has now expanded to over 117 countries around the world.
The United States of America, Canada, Switzerland, Argentina and many other non-Commonwealth countries all now have full World Netball memberships and registered teams. Not only that, but World Netball is also recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Netball’s governing body was granted this status “because of netball’s global popularity, [World Netball’s] strong and effective governance structures, and [their] compliance with the Olympic Charter.”
Netball may be a sport traditionally played by women, but there has been a significant increase in the number of men who have taken up the sport, as well as the introduction of mixed teams playing at the elite level too.
Playing netball takes immense skill and athleticism, and it’s also a very strategic game where players are constantly trying to outsmart their opponents to gain possession of the ball.
These factors alone seem to me to tick the required boxes for netball to be included in the Olympic Games, and I’m not the only one who thinks so.
It’s been confirmed that the 2032 Olympics will be held in Brisbane, Australia, and with Australia being the highest ranked netball team in the world, there’s no better time for the sport to be added into the competition.
World Netball has officially declared its intention to work alongside Netball Australia to “make a compelling case for netball’s inclusion in the 2032 Olympic Games.”
As a predominantly female-dominated sport, netball has long been overlooked and is often not taken as seriously as other sports. But it’s time for that to change.
World Netball confirmed their lobby for the sport to be added in Brisbane 2032 back in 2021, when legendary Australian netballer Liz Ellis said, “we’ve got 11 years to make this happen and you don’t make things happen by sitting back politely and waiting.”
With new sports being added to the games every four years, including recent additions such as surfing, 3×3 basketball, skateboarding and even breaking, it begs the question: when is it netball’s turn?
Inclusion in the Olympics would showcase the vast levels of talent evident in the athletes, as well as encourage more young people – especially young girls – to join up and play.
There’s a growing epidemic that has seen young women start to drop out of sports at an earlier age, so seeing a female-dominated sport be played on the world stage would be a great way to inspire the next generation of athletes to continue playing and striving to be their best.
Team sports are a great way for both kids and adults to build connections and work with others, and, by presenting netball at the elite level, the sport could grow immensely thanks to increased media attention and funding.
Cricket, a sport typically only played by Commonwealth nations, has been confirmed to be added for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. So the inclusion of netball isn’t too far fetched.
The Olympic Games is a celebration of all sports and athletes from across the world, so it only seems fair that netballers get the same opportunity as other athletes to compete at the highest level, and have spectators fall in love with the sport and its rich history.
In Australia alone, the 2024 Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) league was attended by a record-breaking 366,222 fans across the season, showcasing the growth the sport has had, as well as the sheer amount of netball fans there are in the country.
The 2024 SSN Grand Final took place on Saturday 3 August at Adelaide Entertainment Centre, where another sold-out crowd cheered the Adelaide Thunderbirds on to back-to-back victories.
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