The netballers’ union says Netball Australia has signalled it does not intend to raise Super Netball player wages as part of a new agreement following losses of more than $7 million in the past two years.
A collective player agreement expires at the end of the 2023 season and the Australian Netball Players’ Association is in early negotiations with Netball Australia over a replacement, with the union pursuing a “partnership” model it hopes could lift salaries.
Super Netball players enjoyed an increase in their pay in 2022 of up to 22 per cent after the sport’s governing body struck a broadcast deal until 2026 with Foxtel.
Netball Australia is negotiating a new player pay agreement with the Australian Netball Players’ Association.Credit:Getty
“There’s no more money for the players through to 2026, which aligns with the broadcast deal,” Australian Netball Players’ Association chief executive Kathryn Harby-Williams said.
“We are not aligned with that approach and will be working with Netball Australia … we have requested financial information, and we hope to come to the table to discuss that.”
The previous player agreement ensured Super Netball players remained the highest-paid female athletes in any domestic league in Australia, but the potential for slowing wage growth has fuelled concerns that rising AFLW and cricket salaries could prompt athletes to move to other sports.
“Even though we are the sport of choice for women and girls across Australia at a grassroots level, I think what the sport has to be really wary of is not just becoming a pipeline of talent for other sports to pick off,” said former captain of the Australian netball team and commentator Liz Ellis.
AFLW players such as Libby Birch and Sharni Norder, who is now retired, moved into the sport from successful netball careers, while Collingwood’s Ash Brazill plays football and netball.
The minimum salary for netball players is $43,000, while AFLW players are paid a minimum of $39,184. Cricket is seen as the gold standard for lifting pay at the international and domestic level, with the average salary for female domestic cricketers who play both 50-over and Twenty20 formats now about $86,000.
Netball pay has significantly improved since Ellis played in the 1990s and early 2000s, but she said a model that shared revenue with players was needed to continue the sport’s growth. “Right now I think there’s some growing pains with making sure they are a really good proposition for talented athletes.”
Netball Australia had suffered losses of $7.2 million during the past two COVID-affected years. A spokesperson for the governing body declined to comment on the specifics of its proposed new player agreement, but said Netball Australia was focused on securing long-term sustainability for all players of the sport.
“Our approach to the current negotiations, which are confidential, is solely focused on achieving that objective,” the spokesperson said.
The players’ association’s Harby-Williams said players did not want to take what the game could not afford, but she hoped a partnership model could be found with Netball Australia and its stakeholders to increase player wages.
“We are in the early phases of collective bargaining and there is a lot to discuss, and we would like to think we will reach a model that is a partnership … it’s a model where everyone is incentivised to grow the game,” she said.
“It’s a highly competitive environment at the moment in women’s sport, and we need to work together to help build the game.”
Partnerships in other sports such as cricket and AFL involve players sharing in the sport’s fluctuating revenue. A source with knowledge of the negotiations, who did not wish to comment publicly, said the players’ association was pushing for players to receive significantly less than a 30 per cent share of revenue, if Netball Australia can prioritise debt repayment.
Ellis said she saw benefit if players “share in the upsides, and share in the risks”.
“The players are incentivised to work with Netball Australia to grow the game,” she said.
Netball Australia signed a $15 million sponsorship deal with Visit Victoria last year, after Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting withdrew its sponsorship following a controversy over the Diamonds wearing uniforms with the company’s logo.
The 2023 Super Netball grand final will be played in Victoria as part of the state government deal.
A spokesperson for Foxtel Group said under its partnership the company was focused on rebuilding reach and engagement with netball fans, including by offering games that viewers could watch for free on Sundays.
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