Netball has long punched above its weight.

Built from the ground up by women, for women, it is the only code in Australia that doesn't need to add a W to its name.

Yet in an era where our female athletes are shining brighter than ever, netball is still not receiving due credit for its impact on this country.

You'll often hear netball referred to as Australia's leading team sport for women and girls.

The latest AusPlay data indicates that is still the case. A total 1,017,000 people participate in netball and its fastest growing sector is actually boys and men.

Aussie Rules is slightly ahead with a total 1,030,200 participants, skewed male.

Meanwhile, rugby league only has a total 340,600 participants. Which may shock people considering how much government funding flows its way.

Back in the 1980s, netball was one of the first sports to launch a national women's sporting league in Australia. Since then, there have been three more reiterations of the league.

Today, we know it as Super Netball and the 2024 season experienced record-breaking crowds and membership sales.

An overall attendance of 366,222 made Super Netball the most attended season across all codes in the history of Australian women's sport.

This overwhelming interest has even seen some clubs outgrow their home venues.

"At the end of the day, the result is a reflection of the product we've got and the players who put on a great show every single week," Netball Australia chair Liz Ellis told ABC Sport.

"I feel like the sport is in a really good space and that's a culmination of a lot of work that's gone on over the last few years … With attendance up 25 per cent again this year, it shows people are finding us and they like what they see.

"It gives us the hook to go to potential partners like government, sponsors and broadcasters and show we've got a ready-made market here that is potentially growing faster than any other sports market in Australia.

"We're also attracting a lot of young women, who are valuable consumers that the government wants to speak to, so we need to figure out how we help the government do that."

Just like the NRL and AFL, Super Netball is regarded as the world's premier league.

But despite the competition's global status and the incredible participation rates in Australia, it doesn't receive the same treatment from the government.

As the NRL and AFL enjoy huge investment, you could say netball is left with pocket change.

For instance, of the $40 million pledge to upgrade the Wests Tigers home base Leichhardt Oval, $20 million will be contributed in federal funding.

There's also the $600 million expected to be invested by the Anthony Albanese government over the next 10 years to launch an NRL Papua New Guinea team.

Although this has been lauded as a deal that could transcend sport, doubling as a strategic move to help strengthen international relations, it is also a hell of a lot of money.

Then there's the $240 million being put towards the new Macquarie Point stadium in Hobart, set to be the home base for incoming AFL Tasmanian team.

As well as the $15 million being contributed to Hawthorn's new facility.

There is further state money being funnelled into sport, of course, but when you compare strictly just the national level of support being offered there's already a stark contrast for netball.

And this argument could probably be made for a lot of other team sports like football and basketball too, with higher participation rates than the footy codes. But their elite leagues in Australia don't have the premier global status that Super Netball, NRL or AFL do.

Netball Australia received roughly $8 million in federal funding last year. Part of this was from DFAT to put towards the Pacific Aus Sports series that includes teams like Papua New Guinea.

Just $2.7 million of the total sum went to netball's high-performance pathways, which incorporates the Diamonds team. Meaning, the world's number one team in a World Cup year heavily relied on commercial sponsorship and ticket sales to fund most of its activity.

No federal funding goes towards the Super Netball league and this is supposed to be the case from the NRL and AFL too. However, the men's leagues still often benefit with updates to infrastructure.

The $8 million figure is separate to a deal that fell through in late 2023, where the sport was stripped of the remaining $18 million of a $30 million promise made by the 2019 Liberal government.

A key proposal submitted by Netball Australia to the Australian Sports Commission last year about where that remaining funding would be allocated was deemed unsatisfactory.

The news came amidst a drawn-out pay dispute with Super Netball players and the sport's negative coverage, as well as the strained relationship between its leadership and the government was reportedly another issue.

A change up top – seeing Stacey West appointed as chief executive and Ellis as chair – has since helped to recover a third of that sum.

The pair were among a group of Netball Australia figures that recently met with the prime minister in Canberra and were able to salvage $6 million to put towards the 2027 World Cup.

The event will mark the sport's 100th anniversary in the country and the government says it is still open to revisiting the outstanding $12 million in future.

"That meeting was super positive," Ellis said.

"We didn't go in with any specific asks, but we just wanted to make sure that we were on their radar and it's pleasing to know we certainly are.

"Netball has supporters right across the political spectrum and I think there's a real appreciation for the value of our sport and what we deliver to the community.

"Women who play sport are more likely to be to be leaders, resilient, have great communication skills and the ability to work as part of a team – all things which have a direct economic benefit.

"That was something that was really appreciated at parliament house, so I walked away from those meetings thinking, 'OK, we're in a really good spot'."

After a tumultuous year that raised serious questions about netball's ability to govern, it was important netball repair its relationship with stakeholders, players and fans in 2024.

The message behind the government's decision to hold its funding back was received loud and clear, and the sport has bounced back with great success this season.

However, it does seem curious that male sporting organisations don't ever seem to be penalised the same way when they screw up or make controversial decisions.

Particularly when you consider the number of footballers that make headlines for misdemeanours compared to female athletes.

They also have millions of dollars flowing in through gambling sponsorships, while women's sports are held to a higher standard on who it is deemed appropriate for them to partner with.

Although it is nice to hear from Ellis that the government regards netball so highly, it still feels like it's worth is often overlooked.

When Albanese was recently asked by the ABC which sport he'd back to be added to the Olympics, he suggested Aussie rules – despite it largely only being played in our country.

It is not clear whether the prime minister was aware that Netball Australia and World Netball already has an active campaign in place to push their case for a Brisbane 2032 Games debut.

Played in more than 117 countries, netball has tried to enter the Olympics four times before and many hope the event in eight years will be its best chance to finally crack a spot at the event.

But that answer from Albanese, given off the back of a Games that largely hinged on the success of female athletes – procuring 13 of the 18 gold medals Australia won in Paris – is a prime example of how front of mind male footballing codes remain for politicians.

"Every dollar we put into sport helps lower the health budget because people getting out there on the netball courts, on the athletics track, in the swimming pools and on the footy fields is a good thing," Albanese told Sky News as the country welcomed its Olympians home.

"We need to get young people off their devices and away from the TV."

It's likely the majority of Australians would agree with that statement.

But the allocation of funding and how disproportionate it is, is a topic worthy of discussion.

Ellis believes netball needs to advocate for itself moving forward.

"I think we've got to get out there and bang our drum a little bit more," Ellis said.

"We've always been very polite and said thank you and please, but you can't wait to be discovered and for someone to come along and say, 'Do you guys want money?'

"As I said in my speech before the Super Netball grand final, for too long we've been 'Here if you Need' and I want us to stand up and go, 'Actually we are here, and this is what we need'.

"The onus is on us to get ourselves out there, organise our lists of needs and who we need to speak to in order to thrive."

Now feels like the right time for netball to be bold in its approach, as it looks to build towards the 2027 World Cup on home soil.

Various other sporting events will be held in Australia before the 2032 Olympics and if netball wants to come anywhere close to the success of last year's FIFA World Cup as well as push its case for the Games, then the next few years are crucial for building interest.

A great example of what's possible in women's sport with government backing is the growth thanks to the support from various states this season.

Back-to-back premiers the Adelaide Thunderbirds experienced a 115 per cent increase in attendance across their home games after the South Australian government offered to write off the costs to hire a bigger stadium.

The club went from averaging 3,800 fans per match to 8,000 and hit a new membership high.

They'll be able to move forward and host all their home games at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre in future without that safety net.

It's a blueprint that Ellis believes could be replicated around the country.

Particularly in a state like Queensland, as the Firebirds and Sunshine Coast Lightning are the only teams left in the league playing in arenas with a maximum 3,000-4,000 capacity.

"We've always been out there, at the crest of the wave, talking about women's sport and asking people to come and watch, but it felt like we were an outlier," Ellis said.

"Now with all the codes on offer, it's suddenly not odd to be going to a women's sports league.

"I do think the Matildas affect is real and everyone is experiencing a bit of a boom off the back of that … But that combined with the fact that we've spent 25 years laying the groundwork for a strong, professional competition means we were ready to capitalise on the growing interest.

"The clubs have taken risks to build their brands and step up to bigger stadiums and all that hard work means the building blocks were always there, we were just waiting for our call-up."