Australians believe netball does more for the greater good than any other Australian sport, according to a new survey.
Research from Swinburne University shows Australians see Netball Australia as the number one sporting body when it comes to leadership for the greater good, ahead of other major sporting codes and bodies including the AFL, rugby league and rugby union.
Netball Australia ranked the highest of all sporting organisations for perceived transparency, accountability and ethical standards, with 34.2% of respondents believing netball acts in the best interests of the people to a high degree, ahead of the second-ranked AFL on 31.4%.
The survey shows Australians perceive sporting organisations as doing more for the greater good than local, state or federal governments, religious organisations or businesses.
Netball Australia CEO Marne Fechner said the results were affirmation of netball’s focus on inclusiveness and community.
“As a sport, we continue to focus on uniting and empowering the people within our game and it’s great to see that acknowledged,” Fechner said.
“In partnership with our Member Organisations, initiatives such as Australia Post One Netball ensures the game is accessible for all Australians, whilst the Confident Girls Foundation is breaking down barriers to inclusion and giving girls the opportunity to thrive through netball. It’s exciting to have partners that also share our purpose, with campaigns such as Suncorp’s Team Girls encouraging teenage girls to see the opportunity to build confidence through sport.”
Associate Professor Emma Sherry, a member of the Swinburne University Sports Innovation Research Group, noted that “sport has an incredibly important leadership role to play in society, and Netball Australia was clearly identified by the Australian’s surveyed as being exceptionally ethical and transparent”.
“Sport can be so much more than entertainment or competition, and the role that sports such as netball can play in creating social good are clearly evidenced in this study”.
The national survey of 1000 people was a collaboration between Swinburne’s Sports Innovation Research Group and the Australian Leadership Index, which is a publicly available benchmark of leadership for the greater good across Australia, with results released quarterly at australianleadershipindex.org.
