“Strong to me means being yourself, being able to show vulnerability and being secure, whether that’s in your body or who you are,” Bayman says.

As a player with all eyes locked on her as she makes a pass, Bayman knows what it’s like to feel vulnerable. But she says that she didn’t find security in those moments alone: “I had a team of women around me and those people [help] you release that, yes, you’re strong but actually sometimes you need other people.”

The future of sport

The Netball World Cup is the next event in the long line up of what has now been dubbed the Summer of Women’s Sports. But after these few months of celebration and awareness are over, what does Bayman see for the future of female athletes and sportswomen? “If you had asked me 10 years ago I would have been less optimistic, but I think seeing how far it’s come in the last three years fills me with hope that we’ll see professional sports women in various areas of sport.”

And just because Bayman has stopped playing for her country, it doesn’t mean she’ll stop gaining strength. “Even now, having retired, my aim is to try to stay strong, because I think that’s when I feel the most empowered physically and mentally.” We hope that this summer has inspired other women to do the same.

This is what strong looks like to a professional netballer