Rising to the Occasion

The top national and international elite male netball players still to this day contribute 100% to their player costs and insurance costs. The players train and compete at an elite level pushing their bodies and bank balance to the limit. At the other end, boys are being told they cannot play netball at the age of 12, because they are boys.

In the forever evolving and progressive world of sport means there are significantly more pathways and opportunities for women to play a sport and aspire to become elite. Why do we not see the same pathways, endorsements, funding and support afforded to elite male netball players in return? And, why are boys still being told that they cannot play netball at a local club level because they are boys?

Beyond raising money to support the production of this film, we are raising awareness of the dedication of these boys and men and their contribution to the sport of netball, and the discrimination and sexism that still exists within sport in Australia.

Our hope is that this documentary will inspire a groundswell of support for men’s netball at the local level and elite level across the world. The player stories provide a backdrop to the underlying theme of equality in sport, but from a male perspective.

Netball has a real opportunity to showcase what true equality looks like in sport. Through approaching the conversation from this perspective, we can really shift the conversation about equality and diversity in the sporting world.

1. We hope to shift social opinions on men playing netball, leading to structural change in the sport.
2. We hope to influence industry change that leads to elite male and boys development pathways being developed within the framework of the sport.
3. We want to increase visibility and encourage investors to engage men's netball on a national and global stage.
4. We want to drive conversation around the genderisation of sport and sexism within the industry in Australia.

The exposure of men’s netball across the world has been increasing exponentially in recent months with calls to include the sport in the 2032 Olympics announced to be held in Brisbane. This means that men’s netball could also grow exponentially over the next decade in a bid to guarantee netball can be played on the largest sporting stage in the world. There has been significant media interest in the documentary from around Australia, most notably through ABC national media, the Sports Entertainment Network (SEN), and other podcast platforms.

Media will be vital in achieving the outcomes that we set out to achieve. We will need to engage various media outlets strategically around the release of the film to drive the conversation from the film's perspective.

As producers we have remained independent from, but in communication with key stakeholders. This is to ensure that we allow independent voices to tell the stories as they are. The power of this documentary is through the stories that are told and the impact this will have on the industry will potentially be ground breaking.

Key stakeholders such as the Australian Men's & Mixed Netball Association, including the state men's netball bodies, Netball Australia and further afield, other international women's and men's netball bodies will need to shift as the industry shifts towards a structure of inclusion.

We want our viewers to:
1. Discuss and share - increasing engagement on social media.
2. Advocate for change - at the local and national level, be vocal advocates.
3. Seek information - engage with the Stake in the Game review from AMMNA, and reach out to the governing bodies to see how they can be involved in men's netball.
4. Change behaviour and practice - through the voice of key influential figures in the netball sporting landscape we hope that people will engage with the concepts of the film and that this influence will drive social change.
5. Donate - we are looking for continued donations to drive our media post release and support with ongoing production and release expenses.

The success of the film will primarily be about how many people we can get to see the film:
1. We want to see wide distribution through various channels to ensure that the conversation around men's netball continues to thrive and grow.
2. Visibility on a national level to start the conversation here in Australia around sexism and gender assumptions in sport.

Secondly, we want to see industry change as a result of conversation around the documentary.
1. Inclusion of men's netball as a visible product at the elite level.
2. Policy changes and program opportunities around inclusion of boys in netball at the grassroots, social and club level.