What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever seen on a netball court?

“There are so many things that happen where you just lose it. You’re on your player for 60 minutes trying to annoy the hell out of them, so something is bound to happen. I remember back at the Comm Games in 2010 in Delhi, I was defending with Bec Bulley in the circle. Anyway, Bec had hands over the shot, just defending as she normally would, and the opposition goalshooter just put her hand up her dress and pinched her on the arse! Bec was just, like … mortified! She turned around, looked at the umpire and she’s like, ‘She just pinched me on the arse!’ And the umpire was like, ‘Well, there’s no rules surrounding that … ” But every game something funny will happen. I love that side of it. The girls will have a giggle and you just get back on with it.”

You are used quite a bit to promote the game in Australia. Do you have an official role of promoting netball, or is all that just part of the job of being the Aussie skipper?

“Something that I’m really passionate about is trying to inspire young women to play our wonderful game. We see so many young girls drop out around that 14-17 age group. Do they drop out because they want to focus more on study? Are there other priorities in life? I’m not sure. It’s really important for us, especially in Australia, to encourage those young women to stay in this game and hopefully by the time they’re coming through the ranks, the game will be fully professional for them to play in. So that side of it, when I’m asked to do bits and pieces, it’s really not a hassle for me. It’s part of what I see as my role. I suppose when I look back at what netball has done for me, on and off the court, just the opportunities it’s given me are sensational and I see that as my way of giving back a little bit.”

What do you like most about netball?

“I just love the game. I’ve loved the game since the first game I played at 13 years old. I just never wanted the game to finish. I just used to always look at the clock and think, ‘Can we play another quarter?’ I love that, first and foremost, you’re out there with some of your best mates. The team side of netball. There’s nothing quite like the bond that brings a group of netballers together. That in itself just gives you a buzz each and every time. In my position I love being able to watch the game in front of me and trying to come up and take intercepts, trying to read the game and set things up. I suppose as you grow older, you try to become a smarter player and more efficient out on court. I really enjoy that side of things as well. I love the rules, I love everything about it.”

PHOTO BY GETTY IMAGES.

What’s the secret to enticing young girls to stick at netball?

“When I first came through, a lot of the girls actually studied, so there were a lot of girls combining study with netball, whereas now, we see the game becoming a little bit more higher-profile. We need to put more time into the game, such as for weekends like the pre-season Summer Shootout. Different things are happening now. While everyone still has some form of occupation - especially the Australian girls; they’ll all be doing something away from netball - it’s actually quite important and something that’s great about our sport. It all encourages balance and variety. You’ll often speak to some of the young girls and they’ll be like, ‘I’m at uni for the next six-seven years.” But the other side of that is just the life experiences they’re getting from playing this game, the places they’re travelling to and the people they’re mixing with. I think that’s a huge bonus for them.”

So the deal that netball signed with Fox Sports and the Ten Network was pretty cool, hey? Netball back on Free-to-air TV … and more live games!

“This could take our game, really, to the next level, which is what happened with rugby and all other footy codes. Once it makes that transition, what comes of that is that more money and sponsorships are injected into the game. There’s no doubt about our product; we know we have a wonderful product. It’s the highest participation sport in Australia for females. If someone can just really jump on board and inject some sponsorship dollars into it, we could see it go to that next professional level.”

Do you need more blokes watching netball, or is the sport popular enough without having to worry too much about them?

“Our major audience is young girls and their mothers … But you ask any male to come along and watch the game and he’ll walk away from it thinking, ‘Gosh, I can’t believe how fast that game is.’ Until they actually play it for themselves, say in a mixed netball competition, etc, they don’t realise. It would be wonderful if we could really target that make audience and get them into the game. It would open up whole new avenues of opportunity. To get the game in front of the guys and show them that, ‘You know what, this is a physical game.’ The girls are stunning, they’re healthy, they’re strong, they’re fit, they’re out there playing with no make-up on. It’s just females doing their thing. I think that’s such a positive message they’re sending to a lot of young women - and everyone - in that regard.”

(Above interview by James Smith - @JamesSmith1001)

You can catch Laura Geitz in action each weekend playing for the Queensland Firebirds in the ANZ Championship. In the meantime, don't miss our special six-page feature story on Laura in the April 2015 edition of Inside Sport – ON SALE 19 March 2015