Melbourne Vixen and proud Wiradjuri woman Gabby Coffey says there is something "very special" about this year's Super Netball First Nations Round.
The league hosts its second week of celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and culture aligned NAIDOC Week this Saturday and Sunday - the first falling alongside Reconciliation Week in May.
For Coffey, a Vixens squad member, Super Netball Reserves and Victorian Netball League state competition star, it's part of initiatives casting a bright future for First Nations athletes in the sport.
She told National Indigenous Times growing up in Alice Springs the Indigenous talent she played alongside ran deep, but visibility and pathway systems in place weren't at the same level they have progressed to in recent years.
Coffey also identified investment in high-level coaching, competition and programs she can see around Alice, Darwin and Katherine when back at home.
"It's those foundational things that have changed. (There's) definitely been a change since I was younger, when I was there," she said.
In June, the First Nations Black Swans invitational side finished top of the ladder following the rounds matches of the Pacific Netball Series in Brisbane against international outfits.
It comes as Netball Australia continues supporting the trajectory for Indigenous players into the elite level, including a First Nations coaching course pilot announced earlier this year.
Coffey was an early chance to feature in the side if not for juggling Super Netball commitments mid-season.
"It didn't mean I wasn't still part of it. I had a chat to the girls," Coffey said.
"Hopefully next year, maybe I'll have a little crack at it...I was so happy when Ali (Black Swans coach Ali Tucker-Munro) came to me talking about it...it's going to be really impressive in the next few years."
Coffey said passionate Indigenous women are fortifying pathway systems across Victorian Netball with positive signs for the elite level.
She's also seen that passion first hand during times coaching at Shepparton-based Aboriginal football and netball club Rumbalara.
At the Vixens, fans attending this weekend's home fixture against West Coast Fever at John Cain Arena are invited to leave their fingerprints in paint across Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags displayed in the concourse surrounding their home court on game day.
Players launched the activation on Tuesday after leaving their own mark.
"I feel like the club and Netball Victoria are really supportive of this round and have built something over the years," Coffey said of First Nations Round.
"It's very special this year.
"I feel like being in the Melbourne Vixens environment...it feels like everyone's very present to keep learning and keep developing this round…even an ongoing thing to support First Nations people in country leagues and (other leagues) to build up and get these girls to play at the highest level like I am."
Netball Victoria First Nations netball coordinator, Kaitlyn Pyle told National Indigenous Times the First Nations Round activation signified their reconciliation journey while "inviting other people to kind of pledge their commitment to reconciliation as well".
"The round is not just about wearing a dress…It's more about the deep meaning behind that and we try to relay," she said.
"It's really about representing First Nations people and celebrating culture and participation in our sport because there's been a lot of people that have really paved the way for netball."
Pyle said the state body is active in efforts to address ongoing barriers, strengthen pathways for First Nations players into high performance spaces and support leagues across the state with their own initiatives.
Melbourne Vixens host West Coast Fever at John Cain Arena in Naarm on Sunday.
