Australia’s popular women’s sport, netball, is facing media neglect, with the focus primarily on the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the success of the Matildas, Australia’s women’s football team. While the Matildas’ achievements are being celebrated and covered extensively by the media, the recent Netball World Cup, where the Australian Diamonds clinched their 12th title, received significantly less attention.
One contributing factor to this neglect is the time difference, as the netball tournament took place in South Africa. Australian audiences struggled to keep up with the games due to the unpalatable time zones. However, beyond this logistical challenge, netball faces specific obstacles within the women’s sports world that contribute to its lack of media focus.
Despite recent growth in broadcast and ticket sales, netball receives far less media attention compared to women’s sports aligned with traditional men’s sports codes. The FIFA World Cup, for instance, showcases an inclusive fan culture, the history of women’s football, and stories from grassroots and community football. These narratives highlight the progress made in women’s football and the obstacles overcome, creating a unique and engaging narrative that captures media attention.
In contrast, netball struggles to create comparable narratives. While men’s netball does exist and has a national team in Australia, the sport’s history as a game designed specifically for women creates a perception that it does not face the same challenges as other women’s sports in terms of equality and recognition. As a result, netball is often taken for granted and overlooked by sports media.
Despite being the most popular team sport for women and girls in Australia and boasting high participation rates, netball receives minimal coverage in the overall sports media landscape. Research shows that coverage for women’s sports constitutes less than 10% of the total sports media coverage in Australia. Even during the height of the COVID pandemic when all live sports were suspended, men’s sports stories continued to dominate the media landscape.
A study of nine Australian newspapers’ coverage of the 2017 Super Netball season revealed that only 4.58% of total sports media coverage was dedicated to netball. The sport only gains significant media attention when it is facing a crisis, such as controversies surrounding players or financial issues within Netball Australia. In contrast, positive coverage highlighting the achievements and successes of netball is scarce.
Australian netball is highly competitive and attracts some of the world’s best netballers, making it arguably the best domestic netball competition globally. However, without independent women’s sport and dedicated netball media platforms, netball struggles to secure substantial coverage in mainstream media outlets. The hard work of passionate freelancers and champions driving netball coverage is paramount in ensuring the sport receives the attention it deserves.
As the Matildas gain more recognition and become household names, few can name the co-captains of the Diamonds, Steph Wood and Liz Watson. There is little discussion about the fact that World Netball does not offer prize money and the uncertainty surrounding netball’s inclusion in the Commonwealth Games, especially for athletes who do not have the opportunity to participate in the Olympics.
While it is crucial to celebrate the gains made by women’s football and the stories of resilience and progress in that sport, it is equally important to reflect on the barriers that exist in other women’s sports, such as netball. Netball plays a significant role in connecting many women to sport in Australia, making media coverage of the sport crucial for celebrating athletes at both grassroots and professional levels. Furthermore, media coverage can also shed light on the challenges and changes netball needs to further advance alongside other developing professional women’s sports.
In conclusion, netball in Australia is suffering from media neglect compared to women’s sports aligned with traditional men’s sports codes, such as women’s football. Despite its popularity and high participation rates, netball receives minimal coverage in the overall sports media landscape, with only 4.58% of total sports media coverage dedicated to the sport. The unique history and status of netball as a women’s sport, along with logistical challenges like inconvenient time zones, contribute to its neglect by sports media. However, dedicated netball media platforms and passionate individuals are striving to give the sport the attention it deserves. Media coverage of netball is vital for celebrating athletes and driving positive change within the sport.
