SINGAPORE – The 2032 Olympics will be a special moment for former Australian netballer Steph Fretwell, and it could be even sweeter if her sport makes its first appearance on the world’s biggest stage.

The 32-year-old was born in Townsville, a city on Queensland’s north-east coast whose capital Brisbane will host the Games in eight years’ time.

“It would be amazing to have international eyes looking at netball in countries that are probably not as well-known. In 2032, Australia and the Olympic committee have a really good chance of introducing netball and I would love to see that,” the former Diamonds vice-captain said on the sidelines of the Mirxes Nations Cup at OCBC Arena.

“I often find that when people come and watch netball, they actually realise how talented (the players) are, how fast the game is and that it’s a physical game. So if we can get people to look at it and change that perception that it’s a non-contact game, that you can’t get hurt playing it, that would make a huge difference.”

These are misconceptions Fretwell has encountered throughout her career, which has seen her win gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2023 Netball World Cup. However, the country’s growing fan base has also provided an opportunity to educate people about the sport.

With world leader Australia dominating the sport and its arch-rivals New Zealand, the Brisbane Olympics could be netball’s best chance to make it onto the quadrennial list.

World governing body World Netball has expressed its willingness to work with Netball Australia to include the sport in 2032, but both organisations will have to overcome a number of hurdles.

One of the main challenges will be the female-dominated nature of the sport, especially as the International Olympic Committee places emphasis on gender parity.

Fretwell, however, hopes it won’t hurt her chances, noting that there are other sports, such as artistic swimming, where women dominate. She also noted that netball is played competitively by men in countries such as Australia and New Zealand, which have men’s leagues.

He believes that Olympic participation will be key to the growth of the sport worldwide, just as it has been in Australia. The 2024 Super Netball league in Australia saw a record attendance of 331,841 fans, up 25 percent on the previous year.

“While I think we have the best league in the world, I also think we need to improve,” she said, adding that watching the Nations Cup showed her there were talented players from other countries but that opportunities for them to play in the Australian league were limited.

“You could see the growth of international netball: England, Jamaica, South Africa accepted their players into our league and they could experience what we were experiencing.”

Netball will have to defy the odds to qualify for the Olympics, much like Fretwell has done throughout her career.

The 175cm player told The Straits Times that at the age of 16 she was told she was too short to play as a striker.

But that only fueled her as she honed her game and learned to shoot over tall defenders. Her determination to succeed saw her earn 56 caps for the Diamonds from 2016 to 2023.

While she remains involved in the sport as captain of the Super League Sunshine Coast Lightning, Fretwell has not ruled out staying in netball after her playing career ends.

She said: “Netball will always be a big part of my life and I would love to become a coach but I understand there is a lot to learn… But it is an area I would like to consider.”