Netball Australia and the players union are edging closer to an agreement after professional netball players in Australia have gone more than nine weeks without pay.
The new Collective Player Agreement (CPA) is expected to be finalised this week, after long but productive and positive meetings between the code’s governing body and the Australian Netball Players Association (ANPA) on Friday and Saturday.
The CPA reportedly agreed on by both parties is a revenue-sharing model, according to reports from CODE Sports, which bases payment on players’ terms instead of relying on profits from the national netball league, the Super Netball.
While both parties agreed Netball Australia’s debt must firstly be repaid, the agreement will see an 11 per cent increase on base salaries over the next three years. Private health insurance contributions will also increase 3 per cent annually.
The maximum total base salary payment is currently at $655,000 and is set to rise to $690,995 next year. However, under the new CPA, this will rise to $742,212 by 2026.
Marketing related deals are set to double effectively immediately to $40,000 per player and $160,000 per team.
Under the CPA, the intellectual property of players used in promotional material will require payment, in a new commercial model. There will also be a 10 per cent increase in the honoraria for training partners in 2024.
Players involved in the pay dispute have not been paid by Netball Australia since October 1, more than nine weeks ago. The agreement will see these players back paid.
‘Publicity stunt’
Representatives from ANPA fronted the media last week, responding to an interim offer from Netball Australia to end the pay dispute.
On Wednesday last week, Netball Australia made an interim offer for immediate payment to players involved in the pay dispute, which CEO of Netball Australia Kelly Ryan said would “provide all parties the certainty and stability they seek”.
However, the following day, Kathryn Harby-Willias, the CEO, secretary and treasurer of ANPA, told reporters the offer was the same offer ANPA put on the table nine weeks ago. The ex Aussie netball player called the offer a “publicity stunt”.
“Netball Australia said they are listening to the players and they need to be paid and they are struggling being unemployed. We don’t want just words – we want action,” Harby-Willias said.
“That could’ve been done nine weeks ago… we put a proposition on the table… and that was rejected.
“So for it to be put on the table now is confusing… it was just a publicity stunt, as far as we’re concerned.”
Later in the press conference, Jo Weston, president of ANPA and another ex-Diamond, got emotional while talking about the emotional toll it has had on netball players.
She was especially emotional talking about Netball Australia threatening the Diamonds with legal action if they did not attend the Netball Australia Awards night last week.
“The Netball Australia awards are one of my favourite… it’s been really hard,” Weston said, choking up.
“All of us just want to be able to move forward with what we think is fair and reasonable for our playing group.
“We want to feel like we’re valued. We want to feel like we’re respected and listened to and hopefully tomorrow (Friday) when we’re in the room we’ll be able to get something done for our players.”
Funding cut
In another blow for Netball Australia, the government announced it would strip netball of almost $18 million in funding.
Last week, the Minister for Sport Anika Wells said the money, which was originally intended to be directed at the code, would instead go to a pool for women’s sport in general.
“I’m focused on outcomes for female athletes and quite simply, this money needs to be directed to areas I’m confident positive outcomes will happen,” Minister Wells said.
The federal government provides nearly $4 million annually to netball, and in the 2019 election, the Morrison government pledged to give a total of $30 million to netball to “fund numerous initiatives – from grassroots through to high performance”.
According to Netball Australia CEO Kelly Ryan, the government said they are open to discussions with the sport’s governing body around funding.
“We will continue discussions with the federal government and provide them with a proposal that enables their investment in the growth of the netball community that is made up of over one million people,” she said last week.