Netball is Australia's largest participation sport for women and girls — played by over 1.2 million Australians. From school playgrounds to international stadiums, netball provides competition, fitness, and community for women and girls across the country. Community netball clubs are the foundation of the sport, and they depend on grant funding for courts, equipment, development programs, and the volunteer infrastructure that keeps the sport running. Grant funding supports grassroots netball, junior development, umpire pathways, inclusive programs, and facilities.
Australia's netball landscape
Challenges for community netball
Australian Sports Commission / Sport Australia
State and territory governments
Sport development grants through state agencies.
Local government
Court maintenance and facility grants.
Netball Australia
National governing body — grassroots development grants.
State netball associations
Club operations
Court and facilities
Junior and youth development
Umpire development
Inclusive netball
Multicultural netball
Women's leadership in sport
Netball has a particularly strong connection with Pacific Islander communities in Australia:
- Fijian, Samoan, Tongan, and Cook Islander communities have strong netball traditions
- Pacific players feature prominently at all levels of the Australian game
- Pacific community clubs provide cultural connection alongside sport
- Netball is a pathway to education and opportunity for Pacific young women
Applications for netball programs in Pacific communities can access both sports funders and multicultural community funders.
Girls' pathways
Netball is one of the few sports where women outnumber men in participation, governance, and coaching. Applications that sustain and strengthen this — rather than importing male sport models — are more appropriate.
Umpire development
The umpire shortage is the most critical operational challenge for netball clubs. Applications specifically addressing umpire recruitment, training, and retention address the constraint that limits competition.
Cost barriers
Netball has cost barriers — registration fees, travel, equipment — that limit participation for lower-income families. Applications for registration subsidy or equipment programs address access.
Court quality
Outdoor courts deteriorate and become unsafe. Applications for court surface improvement — often deferred because it's expensive — address a safety and participation issue.
Tahua's grants management platform supports netball funders and community sport organisations — with participant tracking, court utilisation data, umpire program measurement, and the reporting tools that help netball funders demonstrate their investment in Australia's leading women's community sport.