Rugby league does well in the funding race. Credit:Getty Images Labor sport spokeswoman Lynda Voltz said the allocation of funding did not reflect participation rates, with netball - the fifth most popular club sport - receiving one-fifth of the funding allocated to rugby union which does not make the top 20 for club participation. Netball is the fourth most popular club sport for adults and children combined in NSW, behind football, golf and cricket, according to the Australian Sports Commission. It received $83,900 in 2015/16, including $23,900 for sport development and $60,000 for events, while the NSW Rugby Union received $235,000 in total. "More women and girls play netball than any of the other ball codes yet netball is treated like some sporting backwater," Ms Voltz said.

Shadow sports minister Lynda Voltz said netball is being treated like a backwater. Credit:Kate Geraghty "What message does that send to young women aspiring to play professional sport? [Sports Minister] Stuart Ayres likes to give lip service to the idea of increasing women and girls' participation in sport but refuses to provide the necessary funding." Kristina Keneally, who has witnessed the system both as the former premier and the head of Basketball Australia, said the funding process for large sporting projects could be made more transparent by setting up tenders rather than accepting unsolicited proposals. Most sports administrators were dedicated to their sport but had neither the inclination nor the desire to engage in the politics that were necessary to secure funding, she said. "The big grants come through cabinet processes and are not driven by any type of publicly advertised application processes," Ms Keneally said.

"Usually parish pump funding is done to boost a marginal seat or a local member or it's done because the code comes and badgers the government. "My experience is that sports are pretty poor at working with government - state government in particular - because unless they're the NRL or the AFL they're not geared for it." The football codes had more staff and could offer perks such as grand final tickets. "They're more professional organisations, they're commercially focused, they know how to lobby, they have a product that's well known. That's the other thing, what does the government get out of building a football club or an NRL club? They get an association with something that's popular."

Netball NSW chief executive Carolyn Campbell said she had not been aware that there was funding available under special grants, but the organisation had applied for everything it knew about. With 115,000 members and 118 associations, some netball associations were bigger than some sports. "We've enjoyed $27 million from the Labor government of the day in 2011 and the Liberals did see that through," Ms Campbell said. "We were able to build our terrific new centre at Olympic Park. But what I don't know is what we're missing out on because we don't necessarily have an understanding of what's on offer. "We're not a political beast but at the same time I think our own values stand up for us because our sport is so strong and so community minded."

Mr Ayres said netball had received its biggest investment in the history of the sport in Australia during the government's term in office, including $27 million for a new stadium and $308,606 to grow participation. Special grants were for joint community projects and funding was administered by the sporting bodies and local councils, he said. "The Office of Sport works closely with state and local sporting organisations to invite applications for funding across a number of grant programs which require details on projects and/or programs," Mr Ayres said. "The Office of Sport seeks advice from sporting organisations and councils to identify their needs and priorities." Note: This story has been changed to note netball as as fourth most popular club sport in NSW and football as the most popular, when the figures for adults and children are combined.