Netball’s pay war is over after the sport’s governing body and the players’ association finally agreed on a new pay deal.
After players’ association president Jo Weston broke down in tears in a press conference on Thursday over the standoff, talks began on Friday and continued on Saturday before a resolution was reached.
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CODE Sports reports Netball Australia and the Australian Netball Players’ Association (ANPA) have agreed on a new Collective Player Agreement (CPA) that will run through to September 2026.
Friday’s meeting featured an appearance from Federal government minister and former unions boss Bill Shorten and a reiteration of the 21 unanimous resolutions presented by the players on Thursday.
At the heart of the new agreement is a revenue-sharing model for sponsorship money exceeding projections
The new deal is a revenue share agreement based on the players’ terms, not reliant on the Super Netball competition breaking even.
But both parties agreed Netball Australia’s significant debt must be repaid first.
The players will receive an 11 per cent increase on base salaries over three years, as well as three per cent annually on private health insurance contributions, and back pay from October 1, the date from which all players have been uncontracted/unpaid.
Netball Australia also agreed to the players’ terms over a new commercial model that features concessions over the use of the players’ intellectual property in promotional material.
The maximum total base salary payment, currently $655,000 and set at $690,995 next year, will rise to $742,212 by 2026, with the minimum payments up from the current $590,000 to $611,300 and eventually $655,836.
Marketing related deals will double immediately to a cap of $40,000 per player and $160,000 per team.
There will also be a 10 per cent increase in the honoriam for training partners in 2024, which will increase a further three per cent in the following two years.
Super Netball teams will be able to nominate an 11th player from their wider squad on a six-month salary contract of $22,000.
Netball Australia is yet to publicly confirm the new agreement after both parties issued statements on Friday night saying talks were ongoing.
But the breakthrough means Super Netball players left in limbo without a contract can finally get some much needed security in the lead up to Christmas.
The future of Netball Australia CEO Kelly Ryan is up in the air, with the governing body reeling from the fresh blow of more than $17 million in Federal Government funding being withdrawn.
