Caitlin Bassett: From Netball Dominance to a Champion for Athletes

06 May 2025

Since hanging up her netball bib a few years ago, Caitlin Bassett has channelled her passion and experience into a new career as a multifaceted professional within the sports industry. From working behind the scenes in cricket and rugby to playing Aussie Rules Football (AFLW), she has thrown herself into every challenge. As a towering 192cm (6ft 4in) athlete, she was headhunted to play as a "ruck," a position that requires her to jump for the ball and then run around "like a mad woman for the entire game"—a stark contrast to her netball days as a stationary goal shooter. Her diverse experiences give her a unique perspective on the world of women's sports.

Super Netball: The World's Best League and the Controversial Super Shot
Bassett proudly calls the Super Netball competition the "best netball competition in the world," where the top players from around the globe compete. She explains how the league has evolved since its inception in 2017, introducing a few key rule changes that set it apart from the international game. The most notable of these is the "Super Shot," a two-point shot from a specific zone in the last five minutes of each quarter.
The Super Shot is a highly controversial rule, and Bassett admits she's not a fan. While she acknowledges it's a strategic move to "jazz it up a bit" and attract new fans, she believes it can sometimes overshadow the performance of the better team. However, she does admit that the rule has unintentionally benefited Australian shooters on the international stage by making them "bulletproof" and confident shooting from anywhere on the court. She also reveals that the rule has been adopted by other leagues, including the UK's Netball Super League, showing its growing influence.

The Mid-Court Battle and Netball's Global Challenge
As a tall shooter, Bassett is no stranger to competing against giants, but she is a strong advocate for players of all sizes. She explains that while height is an advantage for shooters and defenders, "the short girls" are the ones who "connect the whole court" with their speed, quick hands, and agility. She believes a diverse range of players, from tall post-up shooters to more dynamic, moving ones, is what makes the game exciting and challenging.
She candidly discusses the significant gap between the top five or six netball countries and the rest of the world. Bassett identifies a lack of elite coaching, funding, and facilities as the primary barriers for countries in Asia and Europe. She highlights the positive trend of former top-level players and coaches helping to elevate the standard of the game in other nations, as well as players with dual citizenship returning to play for their countries of origin.
The conversation also touches on netball's ambition to become an Olympic sport. Bassett explains that a lack of gender equality (a men's game is still in its infancy) and a limited number of participating countries are key obstacles. She suggests that a more "shorter and sharper" format, like the fast five style, could be a potential pathway to the Olympics, with the 2032 Brisbane Olympics presenting a golden opportunity to feature as an exhibition match.

Money, Media, and a Call for Respect
Bassett offers her unique perspective on the financial realities of women's sports, drawing on her experience working for Cricket Australia. She was "absolutely shocked by the amount of money" in cricket, where young female players can "literally set themselves up for life" with lucrative contracts. This contrasts sharply with netball, where players' salaries are much lower, and the sport does not benefit from the same massive television or sponsorship deals as men's cricket. This financial disparity is a key reason why sports are now competing to "recruit and maintain their players," as female athletes have more options than ever before.
As a former player-turned-journalist, Bassett also provides a rare glimpse into the challenges of media coverage. She admits to being a "poor journalist" because she refused to write salacious headlines that would throw athletes "under the bus," a frustration she experienced herself as a player. However, she used her position to advocate for female sports, pushing back against a newsroom culture that often prioritised clicks over quality journalism. She believes it's essential to fight for equal coverage and for female athletes to be treated with the same respect as their male counterparts.
The interview closes with a robust discussion on criticism in the media. When asked about the intense scrutiny she faced after Australia's loss at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Bassett argues that "any attention is good attention" and that female athletes need to "weather that" if they want to be treated equally. She challenges journalists to ask female athletes the same hard questions they would ask men and to move past sexist questions about their appearance or relationships. "If you wouldn't ask that of a male athlete, don't ask it of a female athlete," she declares, a powerful and vital message for the industry.
For Caitlin Bassett's complete and candid insights into the world of netball, her diverse career, and the future of women's sports, be sure to listen to This Sporting Planet's podcast and watch the full interview on our YouTube channel.