Equality for men
Male netballers demand opportunity to compete
‘‘It really is a slap in the face. It’s just unreal.’’
NZ men’s netball captain Daniel Jefferies
New Zealand men’s netball captain Daniel Jefferies has had a gutsful.
Netball’s governing body, the International Netball Federation (INF) has made it crystal clear the women’s game is their No 1 priority, refusing to sanction men’s netball, or push for it to become professional.
World sport is witnessing a powerful movement for equal rights and opportunities, but when it comes to netball, men are treated like second-class citizens.
‘‘It really is a slap in the face. It’s just unreal,’’ Jefferies says.
‘‘I don’t really understand how in this day and age it’s possible for it to be the way it is and for the INF to have the stance they do on it is just crazy.’’
Jefferies and New Zealand Men’s and Mixed Netball president David Pala’amo both wonder what kind of response there would be if World Rugby held a similar position around women playing their code.
A Women’s Rugby World Cup was first staged in 1991 and sanctioned in 1998 – something men’s netball is still striving for. In March, a historic agreement was reached between the players’ association and New Zealand Rugby (NZR) with 30 of the country’s best female 15 a-side players earning between $40,000-$45,000 this year.
‘‘It’s that feeling of not being given a chance and feeling like you’re being segregated out because of your sex. It seems outrageous in this day and age,’’ Jefferies says.
‘‘It’s the fact that everyone is being so open about every other sport, but the INF have just drawn a line in the sand and are just happy to ignore it and put it in a corner, and not have anything to do with it.’’
Wellington-based Jefferies is at the stage where he is weighing up his international future, due to the high costs of being a user-pays sport.
Jefferies, 30, who purchased his first home this year, estimates he’s spent about $10,000 over the past two years on flights and accommodation for major tournaments. That figure would be even higher if it included travel around New Zealand for trials and training camps.
Captaining his country for the first time against Australia in October’s transTasman series in Adelaide was the ‘‘proudest moment’’ of Jefferies’ life and wearing the black shirt was the ultimate feeling.
Any financial support would be a bonus for elite male netballers in New Zealand. They weren’t asking for much from the INF.
Pala’amo, a long-time coach and umpire, says they just want a fair go and to be treated with respect.
‘‘Probably the first thing is to have some recognition and yep we recognise men play netball and it’s the sport they’ve chosen and that they’re athletes.
‘‘They let men umpire international test series, they let men coach international teams, they let them do the scorebench, they let them do everything else, but they don’t recognise men can play netball.’’
Men’s and mixed netball national organisations are forced to organise their own global tournaments and send out invites. Pala’amo says they don’t want a major financial handout, just guidance and empathy. ‘‘The most annoying thing is they don’t even want to sit down and open the door and say, ‘How can we help you?’, ‘What can we do for you?’. It’s just a flat no. I don’t know if that’s good enough in this day and age.
‘‘Men’s netball just want to be recognised that they’ve got the skill level and are doing what they’ve chosen to do.’’
If the INF sanctioned men’s netball, Jefferies says it would be a game-changer and allow them to slowly grow from the ground up.
Most importantly, it would provide greater exposure and help take the sport to a wider audience, something he believes the INF should be advocating rather than dismissing.
‘‘Having that funding wouldn’t necessarily make any impact directly for the players at the time, but what it would give is the ability to have a governance structure that can go out and find sponsors and get the back end of the game sorted, which would help lower those costs for players.’’
The New Zealand men’s team have never played prior to a Silver Ferns test, which Jefferies says would be a small, but revolutionary step.
He would love to see a basic men’s national league set up, where regional sides could compete before women’s domestic premiership matches – similar to what Netball New Zealand (NNZ) created with their second-tier Beko League.
This year, the National Rugby League (NRL) launched a four-team women’s premiership, featuring the New Zealand Warriors, contested over seven weeks, which was a starting point and a model NNZ could look to replicate. Men’s netball is one of the few Commonwealth Games sports where both genders don’t compete, crippling any future hope netball has of being included in the Olympics.
Jefferies questioned why the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) weren’t addressing the matter and promoting equality in sport.
The INF, which is based in Manchester, England, are resolute on its position around male participation in netball.
It continues to welcome the involvement of men in netball in a range of roles, including as governors, administrators, coaches, officials, players, spectators and supporters.
But the INF stresses its primary focus at international level will remain ‘‘female only’’ netball.
‘‘Netball is one of the few team sports to attract girls and women to participate in large numbers, contributing to addressing the current global disparity in sports participation, with the resultant benefits on health and wellbeing,’’ the INF states.
‘‘This sets netball apart from many other sports, which are working hard to attract females. This is netball’s unique selling point and is something that should be maximised.’’
The INF acknowledges netball plays a
huge function in inspiring women in many developing countries, especially in Africa, and provides them with security and opportunities in heavily maledominated societies.
Star Malawi shooter Mwai Kumwenda, who grew up the youngest of eight children to a maize, beans, and tomatogrowing single mother, and plays professionally with the Melbourne Vixens in Australia’s Super Netball, is a perfect ambassador.
Uganda’s Peace Proscovia, who will debut in Super Netball with the Sunshine Coast Lightning next year is another shining light.
Her parents were unemployed and couldn’t afford to pay her school fees, but netball helped offer a platform as captain of the national side. She went on to earn a masters degree in marketing at England’s Loughborough University, while playing in their Super League competition.
‘‘The empowerment of women, including the engagement of women into leadership positions in sport will remain an INF priority, thereby contributing to addressing the existing global inequality in sport,’’ the INF argue.
New Zealand Men’s and Mixed Netball have existed for 35 years and are an associate member of NNZ, who they enjoy a positive relationship with.
NNZ provided the teams with clothing and equipment for their trans-Tasman series in Adelaide.
NNZ chief executive Jennie Wyllie was sympathetic of the men’s situation and says they’re all for developing the sport and fostering player numbers. Gender should be irrelevant.
‘‘From our perspective we want netball to be strong and strong means whoever wants to participate has the opportunity to participate.
‘‘I think the INF hold a different role to Netball New Zealand. In my view, netball in New Zealand is about being inclusive and recognising anyone who wants to play netball should have the opportunity to do so.’’
NNZ’s Future Ferns programme is available to both young boys and girls up to the age of 12 and a youth strategy was recently launched to ensure more teenagers are involved and retained in the sport.
The Silver Ferns regularly hold training games against the New Zealand men’s team and Wyllie says there was an increasing level of crossover between the men’s and women’s associations.
‘‘Our umpires would go and participate in the men’s nationals. There’s lots of support given across both the men’s code and the women’s code to enable them to be strong.’’
The INF’s argument that only Australia and New Zealand take men’s netball seriously and other nations need to be doing more doesn’t wash with Jefferies.
A men’s tri-series was contested between Asian nations, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong in September — countries where women’s netball has a limited presence.
The trans-Tasman series was livestreamed and attracted a Facebook audience of 130,000 viewers over the tournament, which showed interest was there.
If Jefferies was granted a meeting with English-based INF chief executive Clare Briegal there was plenty he’d like to say.
‘‘I’d just pose the question to them, ‘If your daughter wanted to play basketball and I said to her, ‘No, you can never play professional basketball because you’re a female, how would that make you feel?’.
‘‘I understand them having a focus on the women’s game. To just block out men’s netball completely is the part that really hurts.’’