More Victorians are playing or participating in netball than ever before, according to Netball Victoria 2024 membership figures released at its annual general meeting on Thursday evening.
Netball Victoria membership grew to 117,834 in 2024, up 6 per cent on the previous year, with the increase spread across senior and junior ranks.
In addition to strong growth in accredited participants, including male ranks, hundreds of thousands more players took part in Netball Victoria’s increasingly popular community programs or played, coached or officiated in social competitions.
The membership figures show the game is reaching many new participant groups, with the number of multicultural members up 20 per cent and First Nations people up 8 per cent, while participants in Netball Victoria’s schools program jumped 35 per cent from 2023.
The booming interest in the game was also reflected in record fan support in 2024 for the Melbourne Vixens in their runner-up year in the Suncorp Super Netball competition.
The Vixens recorded the highest average game-day attendance across the SSN of more than 8700 fans, a total attendance of over 60,000 fans and four sell-out home matches, and were the most watched team on Kayo and Fox Sports, SSN’s broadcast partners.
They also broke their own membership record for a second consecutive year with 9044 members – more than a quarter of all members across the SSN – and saw 90 per cent of Vixens athletes selected in Australian squads, reflecting the ongoing strength of the Victorian netball pathway.
Other key highlights in another strong year for Victorian netball in 2024 included:
- Netball Victoria grew revenues to almost $18 million and posted a modest surplus to invest back in the game
- The Victorian Government committed $200 million for three new indoor facilities in regional Victoria, as well as more than $87 million for other community infrastructure across the state
- Netball Victoria’s first-ever First Nations representative team competed at Netball Australia’s inaugural First Nations tournament
- Netball Victoria’s Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan won endorsement from Reconciliation Australia
- Achieving a gold ranking in the annual Pride in Sport Index
- A revamped Victorian Netball League successfully introduced two new regional teams, providing increased pathway opportunities for athletes and coaches in country Victoria and driving community involvement across the state
- The securing of $900,000 in Victorian Government funding to bring high performance netball to regional Victoria over the next three years, and for additional locally-based resources to support regional affiliate competitions and teams
- Berwick Netball Association’s donation of $100,000 to the Jean Cowan Fund to support people in the netball community facing financial hardship, and $500,000 to support clubs, associations and leagues confronted with disaster recovery
Netball Victoria CEO Andrea Pearman said: “Netball has always played an important role in the lives of the many people involved in our great game, and in bringing communities together across Victoria. Judging by the tremendous growth in participation rates and interest in Victorian netball we saw in 2024, this has never been more the case than today.
“My heartfelt thanks to all our affiliates, competitions and their members who work tirelessly and selflessly to make the game such a success, including the volunteers who turn up day after day for the sheer love of it.
“I also want to thank our many partners and supporters who believe in the value netball brings to communities right across Victoria. This includes the Victorian Government, whose investment in infrastructure, quality facilities for players – particularly women – and increased support for administrators and volunteers who run our game is clearly paying off.”
Netball Victoria President Carol Cathcart said: “2024 was a milestone year for netball in Victoria, and we could not be more grateful to the netball community for coming together as a team to grow and develop the game.
“With the support and dedication of our affiliates, we achieved our highest membership on record, 117,834 members, including significant growth in male membership, First Nations and multicultural participants and people with disabilities. We also saw an 8 per cent increase across coaching, umpiring, and bench official accreditations, an area we will continue to focus on.”
Thursday's AGM saw three Board director positions become vacant, and the election of Wendy Frost to the Board for a three-year term. Having served on the Board previously, Frost brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from her long history in netball as an athlete, coach and administrator.
We thank outgoing directors Nicole O’Hare and Candice Maliko for their dedicated service to our game during their tenures on the Board.
Two vacated positions were deemed casual vacancies under Rule 19.2 (d) of the Netball Victoria constitution.
View Netball Victoria’s 2024 Annual Report
