Netball Victoria’s LGBTQ+ inclusion work with Proud2Play and Queer Sporting Alliance
At the VNL Pride Round, two of Netball Victoria’s closest community partners shared what inclusion really looks like, and why the work never stops.
The VNL Pride Round brought colour, community and celebration to court last night, and it was a night Netball Victoria was proud to share with two of its closest LGBTQ+ inclusion partners. Bindy Cohen, Executive Director of Queer Sporting Alliance (QSA), and Kade Matthews, Community Development Officer at Proud2Play, have both spent years working to make sport a safer and more welcoming place for LGBTQ+ people across Australia. Both have found a genuine partner in Netball Victoria along the way. And both will tell you that the real work happens long before anyone walks through the doors on Pride Round night.
Why sport still isn’t easy for everyone
The statistics are hard to ignore. Research from Proud2Play’s Free to Exist study found that 53% of LGBTQIA+ young people have witnessed discrimination in sport. Kade has seen the reality behind that number.
“LGBTQIA+ youth and adults were leaving sport at high rates due to unwelcoming environments and a lack of visible safety,” he says. “Usually it’s not with a big event, it’s just those people that don’t turn up anymore.”
The barriers, he says, go deeper than culture. They show up in membership forms that don’t account for all genders, in infrastructure that hasn’t kept pace, and in leadership teams that treat inclusion as a one-off task rather than a core operating principle.
“Sporting clubs and bodies must move beyond the tendency to wait for a high-profile incident before acting on LGBTQIA+ inclusion,” he says. “By being proactive rather than reactive, sports organisations can prevent the quiet, steady loss of LGBTQIA+ participants who drift away.”
Bindy has seen the same hesitation, and what happens when it lifts.
“Genuine inclusion is about more than saying everyone is welcome,” she says. “It’s about creating spaces where people feel they truly belong, where they can step onto the court feeling safer, respected and valued, without having to explain or hide who they are.”
What the partnerships with Netball Victoria look like
Both Proud2Play and QSA have found Netball Victoria to be a genuine partner in that work, not an organisation that simply shows up for the celebration.
Proud2Play’s relationship with NV runs through the Rainbow Sports Alliance, a framework that supports sporting bodies with long-term, structured guidance on LGBTQ+ inclusion.
“They trust us to provide ongoing policy guidance and education because they recognise that we have strong relationships with our community,” Kade says. “We bring their voices into our advocacy and support to make netball inclusive for all.”
The QSA partnership goes further still, with Netball Victoria financially supporting QSA’s Q League netball competition, providing player insurance and netball-specific resources, while QSA provides education, consultation and support back to NV in turn.
“It feels like a genuine partnership rather than a sponsorship or transactional relationship,” says Bindy. “What stood out from the beginning was their willingness to listen, learn and actively support the work QSA is doing.”
That commitment has earned Netball Victoria Platinum status on the Pride in Sport Index, a recognition Bindy says sends a clear message to the broader sporting community.
“It’s not about flying a rainbow flag for a month and calling it a day. It’s about embedding inclusion into policies, programs and everyday practice. Their commitment shows other sporting bodies that inclusion is an ongoing journey, and one that’s worth investing in.”
The Tuesday night test
Q League now runs netball, basketball, pickleball and social roller skating for LGBTQIA+ folk and their allies across the country. The response from players has been, in Bindy’s words, incredible.
“We’ve seen people return to netball after years away because they finally feel safer, welcome and valued on the court,” she says. “For many, Q League is more than just a competition, it’s a place where they’ve found connection, confidence and a sense of belonging.”
For some players, the hardest part isn’t even the game itself.
“For some, the hardest part isn’t the sport, it’s getting out of the car and coming inside.”
It’s that detail that Kade keeps returning to when he talks about what genuine LGBTQ+ inclusion in netball actually looks like.
“I measure the success of our work by how a club operates on a standard Tuesday night training session, and the care it has for the wellbeing of its members every other day of the year.”
A Pride Round, he says, should be a reward, not a starting point.
“Genuine inclusion is about the unglamorous, consistent work. Updating membership forms to be gender-neutral. Training committee members on how to handle complaints properly. Building an environment and doing the hard work before having a party.”
The night, and beyond
For Kade, the message to everyone at the game was clear.
“I want LGBTQIA+ people to walk away knowing they truly belong in netball. For allies in the stands, I want them to realise that fostering an inclusive environment isn’t about one day of celebration, it’s about actively standing up to exclusionary behaviour whenever they see it.”
And for anyone who’s been away from the court, whether it’s been months or years, Bindy has a simple invitation.
“Come along to a Q League night and see what it’s all about. You don’t need to have played in years or be at a certain skill level, we welcome people from the LGBTIQA+ community and allies alike. All you need to do is show up as yourself.”
The sport, she says, is just what brings people in. The community is what keeps them there.
Queer Sporting Alliance’s Q League runs netball, basketball, pickleball and social roller skating for LGBTQIA+ folk and allies. Find out more at queersportingalliance.com
Proud2Play’s activity directory connects LGBTQ+ people with inclusive clubs and spaces across Australia. Explore it at proud2play.org.au
