Netball Australia could accept gambling advertising to survive a financial crisis overshadowing the start of the sport's elite-level finals series.
Netball Australia (NA) has reportedly lost $7.2 million in the past two years and have bank loans of around $4m.
In the 2021 season, NA lost about $4.4m with much of the loss blamed on the cost of hubs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Super Netball finals series starts on Saturday, with the governing body having sold off the grand final hosting rights to the highest bidder, Perth.
That decision was slammed by the Australian Netball Players Association, which said players were "devastated" by the decision and not being consulted.
NA chief executive officer Kelly Ryan has defended that decision, made with just two rounds remaining in the minor round season.
Ryan says Netball Australia is "not on the brink of financial ruin".
"We understand the financial position we are in," she told the ABC on Friday.
"Obviously it is an uncomfortable position to sit inside a sport that does have debt but it is being really well managed and we know we can rebound really quickly."
Ryan said accepting sponsorship from gambling companies was not "out of the realms of possibility".
"The reality is that gambling sponsorships are very significant and very lucrative in sports," she said.
"Netball has to put itself a little bit more outside its comfort zone in terms of what it does contemplate and consider.
"A lot of things have to make sense for a deal of that nature.
"But there are plenty of other commercial opportunities that sit outside the sport as well that haven't been materialised yet and that is something we've got to take a really good look at."
Ryan, who took over as NA chief executive last year, said netball needed to maximise its full commercial potential.
"Unfortunately, female sport doesn't attract the value in sponsorship dollars that some of our male counterpart sports do," she said.
"So we really need to challenge and change that because it is absolutely worth the investment in every sense.
" ... We just need to be focused that it is a commercial asset, that netball is a commercial business, and we need to start thinking with that mindset so we can change the way it's been tracking."
Netball Australia has been approached for further comment.
