‘I didn’t want to be the gay athlete’: How retiring Diamond Ash Brazill changed netball
It’s not uncommon to hear professional athletes say they want to leave their sport in a better place than it was when they started. But for dual-code star Ash Brazill, who finished her netball career with a World Cup title on Monday (AEST), it goes a bit deeper than that.
After 13 seasons in the domestic competition and 29 caps for Australia, Brazill says she hopes she has helped change the look of netball so gay girls don’t feel shame or apprehension in picking a netball dress over football boots.
Ash Brazill was elated to end her career with a World Cup win.Credit: Getty
“When I started, I was definitely a misfit and didn’t really know where I belonged in netball,” said Brazill, who also plays for Collingwood in AFLW.
“You know, I didn’t have the blonde ponytail with the ribbon in their hair and I would have preferred to wear shorts than a dress.
Geva Mentor (England) and Ash Brazill (AUstralia) were Super Netball teammates at Collingwood, but rivals at the World Cup on Sunday in Cape Town.Credit: Gallo
“And going into footy and hearing [people] asking girls ‘why did they stop playing netball’, and a lot of it was not feeling like they belonged.”
Speaking to this masthead before the World Cup, Brazill said she only ever wanted to be known for her exploits on the court.
“I didn’t want to be the gay athlete,” she said.
“I just wanted to be known as the best wing defence in the world, and that was my goal. But since having kids, for me, it’s been huge and something that I’m really proud of and want to share my story.”
Brazill has been prominent in Australian netball since starting her career at the top level with the NSW Swifts in 2010, before spending four years with West Coast Fever and then joining Collingwood Netball in 2017, where she finished as co-captain.
Christine Granger, chief executive officer of Proud 2 Play, a non-profit that partners with Netball Victoria to promote LGBTQI+ inclusion in the sport, said historically netball was not seen as a safe place for the community.
“It’s kind of been seen as that sort of hyper-feminine space and has had a very specific image attached,” said Granger.
“I think it’s the exact opposite of AFL, from a woman’s perspective. So, I think a number of organisations are realising that that’s something that needs to be addressed and are doing the work to do that [through inclusion strategies].”
Granger added the prominence of LGBTQI+ players, such as Brazill’s success at the highest level, had a huge impact.
“It means people are hopefully more comfortable to be themselves, and it helps change that narrative in the conversation, and it helps for it to become more commonplace,” Granger said.
Ash Brazill during the Australia’s World Cup final against England.Credit: Getty
After the Diamonds won the World Cup, Brazill joked she could never play the sport again.
’The fact we’re standing here as world champions, I just couldn’t wish for a better ending. I’ll never play netball again – how can I top this?,” she told World Netball.
Brazill had a turbulent final year as captain of Collingwood, particularly after the club announced halfway through the Super Netball season that they would not renew their license in the league.
She said getting to finish with a World Cup win meant her career ended with a final positive spin.
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