Australian cricket captain Alyssa Healy’s ‘really sad’ netball call after Diamonds’ Constellation Cup game
As the bitter dispute between Super Netball players and Netball Australia drags on, Australian cricket captain Alyssa Healy says she is in disbelief over the financial health of the popular sport.
Only seven days ago the warring parties reached a new low, with negotiations over Collective Players’ Agreement (CPA) breaking down once again.
And, at the moment, there appears to be no resolution in sight with the dispute heading towards mediation and the Australian Netball Players’ Association (ANPA) concerned about what information is being passed on to their players.
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Australia’s top netballers are now technically unemployed after their Super Netball contracts expired on September 30.
And all new deals for players are impossible without the existence of a CPA.
Netball Australia (NA) says the demands of the Australian Netball Players’ Association (ANPA) are over the top and will put the “entire netball ecosystem” at risk.
“Netball Australia and the eight clubs have simply reached their capacity to make further concessions to the ANPA and players without jeopardising the health of the league and its teams, their respective stakeholders, and the entire netball eco-system in Australia,” NA recently said in a statement.
“ANPA continues to campaign for a revenue share model as part of this CPA. An independent report found revenue share is currently unsuitable for netball, as it would affect the sustainability of the sport.
“Any further increases to player wages beyond this current offer would be irresponsible, as they would come at the cost of funding for community and grassroots netball.”
The players are challenging those claims and Healy says it seems incredible that netball is in such a dire situation.
Speaking on the ABC’s Offsiders, Healy said she had recently watched Australia’s Constellation Cup clash with New Zealand at John Cain Arena in Melbourne.
“I was there the other night. I was watching the game. I was a fan of the game,” she said.
“I’m sitting there, I’m watching 10,000 people there, sponsors everywhere, the product amazing, (and) the line to the merchandise out the door.
“Netball has got to have money, surely. There’s got to be money coming in. I can’t … I refuse to believe it’s a poor sport at the moment just the way that I watch it unfold.
“As a female athlete watching netball go through that, that makes me really sad.”
The ANPA says it wants mediation “to achieve meaningful and fair progress”.
“We ask all sponsors, broadcasters, and supporters of netball to understand the reasonable and modest position of the players and our desire to be true partners in the sport.
“We urge Netball Australia to join the players in mediation and ask for a more sensible consideration of the players’ request to be true partners in the sport of netball.”
– With Digital Staff
