As the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games approaches, the campaign to take netball to the world's biggest sporting stage is gaining momentum.
Sports fans have spent the last few weeks enthralled by the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Athletics, swimming, cycling and netball have kept many glued to their screens.
Now with the Games wrapped up, fans will be looking ahead to the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. But at least one of those sports won’t be on the program.
Netball has been around for centuries, with millions of players and fans across the globe, but it still isn’t part of the Olympics.
Yet as the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games looms, World Netball and Netball Australia are calling for its long-awaited inclusion in the global competition.
World Netball CEO Fiona Harold believes it's about time.
In a statement during the 2025 Netball World Youth Cup, Harold said that "a top priority for World Netball right now is to strive for inclusion in the Olympic programme."
"With Brisbane hosting the 2032 Games, I have a strong belief that netball has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to capitalise on the market position and strength of netball in Australia."
Netball Australia has been campaigning with their well-supported Back the Bid poll since 2021, in partnership with World Netball.
Liz Ellis, the legendary former player and the chair of Netball Australia, insists her sport should be represented internationally.
"Almost 70 per cent of Australians want to see netball in the Olympics.", she said after the official pledge launch. "It’s now time to take this global and if you are a fan or a lover of our game, I am directly asking you to please support us."
In a statement to Newsworthy, World Netball Media Manager, Sophie Reynolds said that over 115,000 people have signed the pledge worldwide.
"World Netball and Netball Australia continue to pursue a bid for Olympic inclusion in Brisbane 2032," she said.
Fans, netball parents and grassroots players are all getting behind the push, aware that representation will mean great things for Australia.
Local player and netball mum, Taneel Bennett, wants to have role models for her daughters.
"Their dream is to play Super Netball," Taneel said about her daughters. "So seeing it in the Olympics would inspire them greatly."
Kath Keech, a Bathurst Netball Association club administrator, is also tired of waiting.
"It's been a long time coming," she said.
"Netball is such a big sport participant-wise across Australia, and I think that people would receive it very well," she said.
"Even if they're not netball people, I see other people talking about it saying, 'Oh, that'd be so good'."
But while many people support netball’s Olympic campaign, there are still plenty of obstacles.
So why are only some sports included in the Olympics? And what will it take to make netball one of them?
Global reach
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has an extensive list of specifications for a sport to be included in the Games.
The main factor is how widely known and played the game is.
Specifically, the IOC stipulates that the sport must be practiced by men in at least 75 countries across four continents, and by women in at least 40 countries across three continents.
World Netball officially recognises over 20 million competitors across the globe in over 117 countries across five continents.
But the numbers are not the same for the men's side.
While approximately 400,000 women participated in netball across Australia in 2025, only around 76,000 men got involved according to Ausport.
Men’s numbers are lacking internationally as well, with only Australia, New Zealand, England and South Africa boasting national teams.
Another obstacle is the lack of growth in large countries like the USA, Russia and China, with less than 10,000 players across the United States, and no official netball organisations in the latter countries.
So although netball is popular in Commonwealth countries like Australia, England and Jamaica, it needs to increase its popularity in other countries in order to be considered for Olympic inclusion.
Following the rules
On the plus side, netball already adheres to a number of IOC criteria.
For example, the IOC stipulates that a sport must have rules that apply internationally. World Netball is the international governing body, and the rules it has established are upheld around the world for certified competitions.
In Australia, there are extra rules for games played within competitions like the Suncorp Super Netball league, like the "super shot", yet these are professional league-specific rules and are not a part of the universal handbook.
Above all, the IOC stipulates that the sport must be interesting enough to be watched by the Olympics’ huge audience.
With viewer numbers surpassing 300 million for the Australian Suncorp Super Netball on streaming services Kayo and Foxtel, it would be safe to say that the sport will be a hit with broadcasters too.
Better female representation in world sport
There’s another important reason behind the push for inclusion: better female representation in sport on the world stage.
Bathurst netball player Nikki McCulloch sees how far this can go, pointing to the rise in popularity of the Matildas after their strong showing in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
"Everybody really loves the Tillies," she said. "There's a really strong emphasis on strong women, so for netball to get in [to the Olympics] would be great."
The so-called Matildas Effect saw a rapid surge in participation rates in women’s football, as well as record-breaking viewing numbers throughout their World Cup campaign.
Football Australia saw a total participation rate increase of 11 per cent, with a 16 per cent increase in women’s and girls' participation in 2024 making it Australia's most popular and fastest-growing sport.
Not only did the team garner unprecedented recognition and exposure for women's football, but they changed the way people viewed female sports.
The comparison is often raised by netball supporters. If international exposure could transform women's football in Australia, many believe it could have a similar impact on netball, particularly in countries where the sport remains relatively unknown.
Why Brisbane matters
For many, Brisbane 2032 represents netball’s best opportunity for inclusion.
Host nations often have influence over the sports program, and netball's strong participation base in Australia and other Commonwealth nations has fuelled calls for its inclusion.
Locally, the Diamonds are the most successful team since the sport's Commonwealth debut in 1998, and they are the current Commonwealth champions.
Unsurprisingly, they have a lot of national support, with 66 per cent of Australians saying they want to see the team play in the Olympics.
Over 100 countries are also behind the proposition, with more interest growing as World Netball’s Back the Bid campaign expands.
An influx of international players playing in Australia’s Suncorp Super Netball is reason for increased competition when it comes to events like the Commonwealth Games, evening the grounds for better global competition.
Teams like Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls and England’s Vitality Roses are filled with players who compete in the elite Australian competition, and demonstrate netball's global reach — all good considerations when applying for a spot in the Olympic Games.
So, will it be in the Olympics?
The IOC's decision will be released in mid to late December. And while it’s hard to guess whether netball will gain a permanent spot in the 2032 Games, the chances of success are high.
For comparison, in the lead up to the LA 2028 Games, five new sports — baseball-softball, lacrosse, cricket, flag football, and squash — all campaigned to be included.
All were successful.
In the meantime, World Netball and Netball Australia continue to push for international support with the circulation of the Back the Bid petition online.
For players, volunteers and supporters, the campaign is about the opportunity for recognition of their much-adored sport and a long-awaited chance to show the world what netball has to offer.
But only time will tell whether the sport will earn its spot on the world’s biggest stage.
