“If you can see it, you can be it” is a maxim of women’s sport.
But the 12 men representing Australia in netball in a history-making trans-Tasman series that begins this week hope to adopt the inspirational phrase as they bring out the male game “behind closed doors”.
For the first time, the four-game Constellation Cup series between the women’s teams of Australia and New Zealand will feature two televised kick-offs between the nations’ men’s teams.
The first game of the series in Auckland on Wednesday and the third on October 19 at Melbourne’s John Cain Arena will see the men square off before world champions Silver Ferns take on Commonwealth gold medalists Diamonds.
The men will play a third standalone game on October 14 in Auckland, while the women will have another Test on October 16 in Tauranga and October 23 on the Gold Coast.
While international netball continues to be sanctioned only by women’s World Netball – meaning the Australian men are not allowed to wear the crest on their uniforms – an agreement between the governing bodies of women and men on both sides of the Tasman States has produced the landmark series Become reality.
The setup included the men’s team and coaches attending the Diamonds’ training camp at the AIS in Canberra before the teams flew to New Zealand together. Australia captain Dylan Nexhip says these moves are groundbreaking.
“There has never been a joint tour of this magnitude in the history of our sport, so to say it’s super exciting is an understatement. It’s huge, something many of us never even dreamed of,” says Nexhip, a teacher who hails from the regional Victorian town of Tongala and now lives in Sydney.
The landmark tournament will be followed later this month by a one-off match between the Australian men and the England men’s team at Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Arena as part of another Diamonds series. These Games will spotlight the male version of the popular women’s sport – played by more than 116,000 Australian men and boys.
For decades, men have played netball in small, self-funded leagues, separate from women. In recent years, state bodies have introduced special male pathways for boys who are required to leave girls’ football by the age of 12, and even added men’s sections to older state titles, as happened in New South Wales this year.
The Diamonds and Ferns have played behind closed doors in practice games against top male teams since the early 2000s, often losing. And in 2019, the Ferns played the first televised game against the Kiwi Men.
“A lot has happened behind closed doors over the years with the Diamonds and Super Netball teams, but this is our moment to be out there for us after so much work from so many people. over so many years.
“It’s a milestone and we want to show what we’re capable of and hopefully inspire the next generation,” Nexhip says, noting that despite Netball Australia’s support, players still have $3,000-$5,000 for the tour have to pay.
The Tour is the culmination of years of efforts by many grassroots individuals and groups, who often resist traditionalists who fear men are “taking over” a sport built by women for women.
“Regardless of your gender, you should never be told you can’t play a sport. There should be opportunities for everyone, no matter the sport, it’s that simple,” Nexhip says.
“Netball is an amazing sport and is in a unique position where both men and women can play at a very high level. The two can complement each other and when more boys and men play, netball’s profile as a whole increases and everyone can benefit from that.”
Super netball star Maddy Proud, who could be making her Constellation Cup international debut after playing consistently in the Diamonds set-up for more than a decade, says it’s “amazing” that the men will take center stage .
“Being able to train against them beforehand was incredible. I can’t wait for the world to see them play.”
The 27-year-old says while the Diamonds, even those who didn’t travel to Birmingham, have gained confidence from winning the Commonwealth gold, their eyes are on the 2023 World Cup in South Africa.
“Our mission is to win the two podium events. We have one now, but the vision for the next one and that means winning that next competition too.”
The world number one will be without arguably the best player in the game, marksman Gretel Bueta, who announced her pregnancy last week.
Manager Stacey Marinkovich, in charge on Australian soil for the first time since being appointed in 2020, is expected to try a number of combinations after calling up Sophie Garbin in Bueta’s place and naming a handful of potential debutants.
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