Liz Ellis still remembers the elation of playing in netball’s first full Commonwealth Games tournament.

The joy of winning gold over arch-rivals New Zealand remains strong. But more important was the feeling of belonging for a sport too often viewed as a local game.

“We felt really privileged to be there,” Ellis recalled.

“I know it’s the Commonwealth Games, not the Olympics. I get that, but for us, it might as well have been the Olympics because we don’t get to play in that environment.

“To be in the dining hall with athletes from all different sports and all different countries in the athletes village, it was amazing.

“This was a pretty innocent time, so the security area [at the village] hadn’t quite been finished, so we all had to line up to get through this one part, and I lined up behind Sachin Tendulkar, and I’m like, how phenomenal is this.”

Despite playing a test event in the 1990 games, netball didn’t officially join the program until Kuala Lumpur in 1998. But it quickly became a blue ribbon event and in this year’s Games in Glasgow, it is the only full-sized, team sport remaining in the downsized schedule.

It fits the bill perfectly as all its nations are Commonwealth ones, and it also provides a compelling TV product, especially the gold medal match.

As the Diamonds prepare to chase back-to-back gold medals, current and former players have spoken about how much the Games mean to netball.

On a practical level, the Games happen a year before the netball World Cup, so athletes can test themselves in the pressure-cooker of an international tournament.

Emotionally, a connection has developed from the validation of playing in a multi-sport event and from the unforgettable medal matches such as Australia’s double-overtime win over New Zealand in 2002 or England’s shock gold medal on the Gold Coast in 2018.

Ellis has rich memories from playing in three Commonwealth Games, including gold medals in 1998 and 2002. She also believes it has become a “critical development path” including setting the stage for one of the sport’s most iconic moments, Sharelle McMahon’s World Cup winning goal in 1999.

“Sharelle McMahon was a really good example of that,” Ellis said.

“Her first big event [for the Diamonds] was the Commonwealth Games in 1998, and she played in that final, then she was the heroine in 1999, when she shot that last-gasp goal to win the World Cup.

“I would argue that the Commonwealth Games experience allowed her to do that in the World Cup 12 months later.”

Now chair of Netball Australia, Ellis expects netball will fight to keep the Games alive amid persistent doubts around its future beyond 2030 when India is due to host.

“I think you’ll find netball will do everything it can to make sure the Commonwealth Games continue in some way, shape, or form into the future because it’s such a great competition and there’s something quite pure about it as well, about the Games themselves,” Ellis said.

Current Diamonds captain Liz Watson, along with Jo Weston and Courtney Bruce, are competing at their third Games.

“They are a really big and important event for us,” Watson said.

“It’s the only time we can be involved in something bigger than just netball which I really, really love.

“Going to the opening ceremony is awesome. When you are there with the swimmers and athletes and all these incredible sportspeople who have worked so hard to get there.

“It showcases netball on that stage and we want to bid to be an Olympic sport too and this is a little step towards that.

“I love it so much, it’s one of the best things and going to the opening ceremony, you’ll never forget that moment.”

The Games shrunk for the post-COVID event in 2022 and further after Victoria declined to host them and Glasgow took on the hosting rights for a scaled-down event.

Watson noted the difference between Gold Coast in 2018 and Birmingham in 2022 but the value to netballers remains as high as ever.

“My first one was on the Gold Coast and you are in the village with Usain Bolt and these incredible athletes and it’s just insane,” Watson recalled.

“You definitely learn a lot from them all and I hope I can pass that down to the girls in their first one.

“COVID affected the last one, so we didn’t have a village as such and very similar in Glasgow. So they’re going to be very different.”

The netball world has expanded since 1998, with England and Jamaica emerging as medal-calibre nations while the likes of Malawi and South Africa are on the rise, as are Tonga, who make their debut in Glasgow.

World Netball is pushing hard for an Olympic debut, whether at Brisbane 2032 or after, although it remains a battle due to the limited number of top nations and the modest men’s side of the sport.

But Ellis said netball had shown in the Commonwealth Games that it was worthy of the biggest stage.

“We’ve always been so strong domestically, but the Commonwealth Games have been a really critical part in building that international base and building the legitimacy of a sport,” Ellis said.

“Now that we’re bidding for Brisbane inclusion, we can quite confidently point to an almost 30-year record of the Commonwealth Games and say this is where we started, and look where we are now.”

She added the sport could do even more at Commonwealth Games level in future.

“I’d love to see a men’s competition added into the netball competition, so I think we’ve still got plenty to give,” Ellis said.

“We can still help the Commonwealth Games evolve as we have the assistance of the Commonwealth Games to evolve our game.”

Games debutant Sophie Garbin can’t wait to take the court in Glasgow after finally earning a berth following more than 40 Diamonds caps.

“Growing up I played a lot of basketball and my sister, Darcee, plays basketball for Australia, so I feel like I thought I was going to be Lauren Jackson going to the Olympics, but netball is not an Olympic sport yet,” Garbin said.

“I feel like going to the Commonwealth Games is second to that and being a part of something you learn about when you are growing up and kids dream of doing it.”

As the Diamonds begin their quest for gold, Watson and her fellow netballers hope the Games remain well into the future.

“Whether you are a netball fan or not, it really showcases the sport, so hopefully it stays around,” Watson said.

“I love it and I know this group loves it, and I’m sure the netball world does too.”