World Netball's hopes of inclusion at the Brisbane 2032 Olympics suffered a blow last week when IOC vice-president John Coates claimed the sport was a "long, long way off" achieving its Olympic dream.

The Australian official said that one of netball's main stumbling blocks was that it is predominantly played by women and claimed that "not enough countries" participated in the sport at the elite level.

Agbeze, who was part of England's gold medal-winning team at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, said she remained hopeful that the sport could gain Olympic recognition, suggesting mixed Fast5 netball could be the answer.

But the 39-year-old, who is a member of the Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee Board, also acknowledged the challenges facing the sport.

"I think with the Olympic question, that people constantly ask, the requirements that the IOC want are specific," Agbeze told insidethegames when attending a Para athletes training camp at the University of Birmingham here.

"Unless netball can satisfy those requirements than it is not going to make it.

"At the moment it is predominantly a female-based sport and I know that the IOC is looking for equality.

"If netball goes in as a female sport, there needs to be a male sport that goes in with it or netball needs to try to get equality.

"There are lots of things that netball needs to do, and I think they are working on those things now.

"Hopefully they will get to a point where they are satisfying the requirements.

"Potentially it could go in as a mixed sport with Fast5 netball and there are lots of different versions of netball like cricket."

Netball has featured at the Commonwealth Games since Kuala Lumpur 1998 but never at the Olympic Games.

With the support of Netball Australia, World Netball expressed its interest last August in securing a place on the programme for Brisbane 2032.

Agbeze believes Nicholl, who was chief executive of UK Sport before being elected as World Netball President in 2019, is the right person to help propel the sport to new heights.

"Liz Nicholl did incredible things at UK sport and is now head of World Netball," said Agbeze.

"She is trying to put things in place to make netball improve.

"Even if does not go into the Olympics, netball needs to evolve as the world moves forward and that’s what they are trying to do.

"Hopefully those changes being made will stand netball in better stead as a standalone sport and then at multi-sport events."

Agbeze also reckons the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Birmingham has the potential to "catapult netball into the stratosphere" as England bids to defend their crown.

England claimed a last-gasp 52-51 win over Australia to win gold at Gold Coast 2018 and Agbeze is optimistic over their chances of retaining the title.

"I think England have the best chance of defending the gold medal as they have got the most experienced team coming into the Games," added Agbeze.

"To win it back-to-back and on home soil will just propel netball even further than the Gold Coast did.

"I played with a lot of those girls so I am hopeful that they can do it.

"Female sport needs it, England needs it and netball needs it."

Netball is scheduled to take place from July 28 to August 8 at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.