But they all pale in comparison to the stunning balls that will be in the hands of the eight teams in Round 10.
As part of Super Netball’s Indigenous Round, Netball Australia commissioned indigenous artist Sarrita King to design a one-of-a-kind artwork that will adorn the Gilbert balls used this weekend.
The artwork, entitled Gather As One, is King’s reflection on the Australian netball community.
Once an aspiring elite netballer herself, King relocated from the Northern Territory to South Australia to pursue her sport, before her art career took her in another direction.
But when the opportunity came to contribute something special back to netball this season, she grabbed that ball with both hands.
King’s imagery on the Round 10 balls represents the wide geographic movement through which Australians from all over the country come to netball.
While the connections begin towards the extremities of the ball, the travelling lines show small groups that converge to become one much larger group, signifying the bond that becomes strong, even once everyone returns home.
King uses the well-known “U” symbol to signify women, but also uses small circles to indicate small groups moving together, as there is no focus on gender or culture when a team comes together.
She says the travelling lines should be viewed as moving in and out of the centre, and representing Australia’s netballers and fans being embraced and then sent back out, with the sport’s support, as citizens making a better contribution in their wider community.
The Suncorp Super Netball Indigenous Round is a part of the NAIDOC Week celebrations. With this year’s theme of “Because of her, we can”, the week recognises significant contributions that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have made in every part of our society.
The introduction of a league-wide Indigenous Round is a key step in Netball Australia’s increased efforts to provide an inclusive environment for all Australians to participate in and enjoy netball.
