New Zealand's female cricketers reach landmark equal pay deal

New Zealand’s female cricketers reach landmark equal pay deal

equal pay deal

New Zealand’s professional female cricket players will now be paid the same match fees as their male counterparts, after signing a “landmark agreement” for equal pay. 

New Zealand Cricket, the six major associations, and the New Zealand Cricket Players Association have all agreed that from August 1, the women’s national team and domestic women’s players will receive equal pay to men across all formats and competitions.

This five-year deal is the first of its kind where professional men’s and women’s pay deals have been combined into one agreement. 

“We are thrilled to now have one agreement that includes our entire playing group,” says NZCPA chief executive, Heath Mills. 

“The new agreement ensures the players are well-rewarded for what they bring to the game and, importantly, are supported through increased investment in personal development and well-being programmes.”

The White Ferns and domestic women’s players will receive improved pay and conditions through a pay equity framework where male and female professional players receive 29.75% of all NZC forecast revenue over five years, which is expected to amount to $104m. 

White Ferns captain Sophie Devine said the agreement is a game-changer for women’s cricket and will encourage more young women and girls to take up the sport.

“It’s great for the international and domestic women players to be recognised in the same agreement, alongside the men,” she said on Tuesday.

Taking a look at the numbers, this new agreement shows substantial pay increase potential for professional women cricketers. The highest-ranked White Ferns player would receive a maximum of $163,246 compared to the previous $83,432 maximum. Top-ranked women’s domestic players would receive a maximum of $19,146 compared to the previous pay maximum of $3,423. 

While match fees are the same as women players, professional male cricketers will earn higher retainers based on the increased number of matches played, formats contested, and time spent training and playing. 

This means that the top-ranked players in the men’s national team would receive a maximum of $523,396 compared to the previous max of $459,574. The highest-ranked domestic men’s player would receive a maximum of $102,707 from the previous $94,437. 

Devine’s counterpart and men’s skipper, Kane Williamson says, “It’s really important for the current players to build on the legacy of those who have gone before us, and to support tomorrow’s players, both men and women, at all levels.”

In addition to the agreement’s promise of equal match fees, domestic female players will also see the total number of contracts increase from 54 to 72 and the number of annual contracts increase from nine to twelve per team. For players with other employment and study commitments, there are restricted obligations on the contracts to position the sport’s commitment as secondary work. 

The agreement looks to improve conditions for women cricketers by including more funding for NZCPA’s support services in an effort to offer the same level of support to domestic women’s players as the domestic men, Black Caps, and White Ferns players.

Existing pregnancy and childcare provisions will remain in the deal and new equity in matters such as travel, accommodation, and a wider playing and training environment have been added. 

“This is the most important agreement in our sport, as it binds NZC, the major associations, and our players at the hip, and sets the foundation to fund, grow and develop cricket,” says NZC chief executive David White.

“It represents a significant step forward as we continue to grow our investment in women’s cricket.”

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