AusLeisure

The year-long dispute between Netball Australia and its elite athletes appears to be over with governing body and the Australian Netball Players’ Association (ANPA) reported to have agreed a new Collective Player Agreement that will run through to 2026.

With many elite players not having paid since 1st October when their contracts expired, terms of the new agreement are understood to have been agreed late on Friday.

Key to the agreement is for an income-sharing arrangement for sponsorship money exceeding projections that will see Super Netball players now enjoy regular pay rises and a share of the revenue generated by the competition.

With the arrangement being on terms dictated by the players, both parties acknowledged that Netball Australia's substantial debt must be repaid first.

Another critical point, absent from the previous offer by Netball Australia and the Super Netball clubs, was a consensus on a new commercial model. This model includes concessions from Netball Australia regarding issues such as the use of player intellectual property (IP), a demand met by the players.

Previously agreed-upon terms include an 11% increase in base salaries over three years, a 3% annual increment in private health insurance contributions, and retroactive pay from 1st October when all players became uncontracted and unpaid.

Additionally, there will be an immediate 10% boost in the honorarium for training partners in 2024, followed by a three percent increase each subsequent year.

Each Super Netball club now has the option to nominate an 11th player from its broader squad, eligible for selection under a six-month minimum salary contract of $22,000, subject to age, matches played, Australian representation, and potential exemptions.

The maximum total base salary payment, currently at $655,000 and set to reach $690,995 next year, will rise to $742,212 by 2026.

Minimum payments will increase from the current $590,000 to $611,300 and eventually $655,836. Part A, concerning marketing-related deals, will double immediately to a cap of $40,000 per player and $160,000 per team.

Other notable initiatives include the establishment of a Professional Netball Committee with formal ANPA representation, aiming to collaboratively explore new opportunities for athlete progress and league amplification.

During the negotiation ANPA tabled a list of grievances to Netball Australia and highlighted issues of “growing frustration”.

One of those frustrations was about how the players have been blamed for Netball Australia’s loss of sponsorship by Hancock Prospecting last year.

New revelation over loss of Netball Australia’s Hancock Prospecting sponsorship
However, new details have emerged on Netball Australia’s loss of sponsorship by Hancock Prospecting in 2022.

While it has generally been reported that the mining company’s $15 million sponsorship deal ended because the players refused to wear a Hancock Prospecting logo on their tops, AAP and 7News have revealed that a senior Netball Australia official told the players to not wear the Hancock Prospecting logo on their uniforms during last year’s series against the England Roses.

The ANPA has now taken aim at Netball Australia (NA) for “reneging on an agreement between NA and ANPA Chairs for the Diamonds to wear the Hancock Prospecting logo versus NZ and not versus England and a commitment by both parties to work with Hancock to ensure the sport did not lose a partner in the game”.

Other grievances include:

• Pretending to consult about the location of the 2022 Grand Final and associated commercial arrangements when in truth a deal had already been done
• Threatening players and their representatives with legal action
• Pushing the players into unemployment and placing players under financial duress during an Australian cost of living crisis
• Making announcement of the National Team contingent on players signing the Collective Player Agreement

Image: Super Netball at Melbourne's John Cain Arena. Credit: Shutterstock.

Related Articles

30th November 2023 - Netball Australia loses $18 million in Federal Government funding

9th October 2023 - Netball Australia fails to agree collective pay agreement with elite players

16th August 2023 - Super Netball facing $7.5 million losses over next three years

1st August 2023 - World Netball launches foundation to enhance possibilities through sport

21st July 2023 - Sports Entertainment Network secures licence for eighth Super Netball team

12th July 2023 - Netball World Cup loses key sponsor Vitality

12th July 2023 - Netball Queensland installs electric vehicle charging stations at Brisbane’s Nissan Arena

8th July 2023 - 2023 Suncorp Super Netball Grand Final sells out at Melbourne’s John Cain Arena

7th July 2023 - South Australian Government commits to upgrade of ageing Netball SA Stadium

31st May 2023 - Netball Australia appoints sub-committee to determine the eighth Super Netball licence

25th May 2023 - Collingwood to withdraw from Super Netball competition at end of 2023 season

19th May 2023 - Netball Australia 2022 financial results show return to surplus

11th April 2023 - Woolworths continues to support grassroots netball in Australia

4th April 2023 - Super Netball’s Queensland Firebirds bolster staff team with double appointments

22nd March 2023 - Guzman y Gomez begin sport sponsorship with Netball Australia partnership

15th March 2023 - PacificAus Sports Netball Series to welcome new competitors

15th February 2023 - Netball Australia partners with Tradable Bits to digitally drive better fan experiences

22nd December 2022 - Netball Australia welcomes AusPlay data showing rising participation

13th December 2022 - Netball Australia introduces new uniform policy ditching mandatory dresses

12th December 2022 - Netball Australia reveal new parental leave policy for staff

9th November 2022 - Netball Victoria names new Chief Executive

31st October 2022 - Visit Victoria’s Diamonds sponsorship a financial lifeline for Netball Australia

22nd October 2022 - Hancock Prospecting to end Netball Australia sponsorship

18th October 2022 - Netball Australia stands by controversial sponsorship while claiming ‘commitment’ to consulting with Diamonds players

17th October 2022 - Netball Australia announces ‘stepping down’ of Chair Marina Go

29th September 2022 - Netball Australia’s finances set to be boosted by Hancock Prospecting’s Diamonds sponsorship

15th September 2022 - PacificAus Netball Series to return to Sunshine Coast’s USC Stadium

---

Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.