Ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, netball's leadership is pushing for the sport to feature at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, seeking a bigger and more secure global platform amid uncertainty over the Commonwealth Games' long-term future. The sport, invented in the 1890s by Swedish-born educator Martina Bergman Osterberg as an adaptation of James Naismith's newly created basketball, has long been dismissed as a "girly game" despite its demanding physical requirements, as highlighted by rapper Stormzy after he injured his fingers playing it.

Netball is now entering a professional era, with elite teams moving into larger arenas and player pay improving, though salaries vary widely: top earners in Australia's Suncorp Super Netball reportedly approach six figures, while many in England's Netball Super League, now two years into a ten-year professionalisation plan, earn five-figure sums and often need second jobs. England's success, including Commonwealth gold in 2018 and a World Cup runners-up finish in 2023, has boosted interest, with attendances rising 45% in the first year of the professional push.