Sonya Ottaway (17th Aug 2025)

·24 min·2 clips

When Sonia Ottaway says 'netball' in America, people ask if it's handball or ultimate frisbee.

The episode features an interview with Sonia Ottaway, CEO of Netball America, discussing the state of netball in the United States. Ottaway, an Australian expat living in the U.S. for 25 years, co-founded Netball America in 2008 and became CEO after the pandemic. She describes the grassroots nature of their work, noting that most Americans don't know what netball is and often mistake it for other sports. Netball America operates under four pillars: community-based programming, events, U.S. education, and an elite pathway. The community pillar has helped establish over 50 clubs across 33 states, starting many from scratch. The Be An Inspiration youth program uses netball to teach physical fitness and leadership, winning awards from Nike and the Billie Jean King Foundation, and even earning Ottaway a White House visit. The U.S. Open Netball Championships, started in 2009 with six teams, now attract 30 teams annually, including international clubs from the UK, Australia, and the Caribbean. Ottaway introduces the My Netball Academy app and in-person event in Charlotte on August 23-24, featuring netball champions like Gretel Buetta and Monia Gerard, plus cross-sport collaborations with AFL and Major League Baseball. She discusses the challenges of funding, as Netball America relies on donations and volunteers without government support. The conversation touches on Olympic inclusion, with Ottaway explaining that netball is still seen as a Commonwealth sport and lacks support from powerhouse countries like the U.S. and China, plus the $50 million cost to add a sport to the Olympics. She mentions partnerships with Talent Locker for AI-driven fitness and the USAFL for integrated training. The episode ends with details on how to register for events and watch the U.S. Open Netball stream.

As heard by us

A practical look at Netball America's grassroots push to grow the sport in America.

The Netball Show frames American netball's growth problem in concrete, ground-level terms. Sonia Ottaway, CEO of Netball America, describes a sport trying to build space beside major American sports it cannot yet match for reach or resources.

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Why you'd press play

You want to hear how netball is being built in the US from the grassroots up, one new coach at a time.

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