Has netball learned much since 2023? Player pay talks again overshadow a major tournament

Netball’s messy pay negotiations are once again overshadowing a major tournament, echoing the disruption that marked 2023.

The Diamonds are aiming to defend gold at the Commonwealth Games, with their campaign starting on Saturday night in an opening match against Tonga at 8pm AEST. But the world number one team has arrived in Glasgow with uncertain futures.

The current Super Netball collective player agreement expires on September 30, which means all 88 players will be off contract. The result is a chaotic scramble for everyone involved.

The 2027 signing window was supposed to open the Monday after the grand final on July 4, but that has been delayed by a month so athletes can focus on international duties while the next deal is worked through.

There are several sticking points that Netball Australia and the Australian Netball Players' Association cannot agree on. ANPA provided a detailed submission late last year, while Netball Australia waited to finalise its new broadcast agreement with Nine, which underwrites most of the CPA’s costs. That was completed in April.

The process is described as more respectful and constructive than before, with greater transparency of information shared, but players remain frustrated, as do their agents.

There is no ban on non-binding conversations with their own club or another club, but a request to allow non-binding written offers during CPA talks was denied. The agents say that would have made the system freer and given players more certainty.

Kathryn Deiulio, founder of Behind Your Brand, said her understanding was that the Diamonds players did not ask the sport to push back the contracting window and wanted negotiations to continue. She said the assumption could create a divide within the group.

“This misunderstanding creates the impression that they didn’t consider the impact it could have on the remaining 60-70 players not playing at the Games,” Deiulio told ABC Sport.

“It is our role to continue contract negotiations on their behalf, and it would have created an additional layer of complexity, given the time difference and the need to carefully manage communication with players so as not to distract them from their performance.

“However, ultimately, that is part of our role as agents and something we are equipped to manage … These are professional athletes who dedicate their lives to their sport, and they deserve the same level of security around employment expected in any other profession.”

Jace Bode, chief executive of W Sports & Media, said the situation was disappointing and difficult to manage.

“The fact that 80-plus athletes have once again been put in this position is incredibly disappointing and challenging to manage from our perspective,” Bode told ABC Sport.

“We have the best netball competition in the world, and it is frustrating to watch these athletes continue to navigate uncertainty around their careers when it has so much potential.”

This CPA will only be a 12-month deal, allowing Netball Australia to try to bring in more revenue from 2027 onwards with the free-to-air broadcast agreement and present a stronger offer. But both agents worry that without a longer CPA in place, the sport could end up in the same position next year, ahead of a World Cup on home soil.

According to the new dates, contracts will open for clubs’ own players from August 4-16, with non-binding written offers permitted for all players during those 12 days. Contracting will then officially open from August 17-28 for players looking to switch clubs.

The agents argue this favours players who want to stay where they are, while disadvantaging those looking elsewhere. The timing is also poor for players weighing up overseas options, especially with the English Superleague window already underway.

In other sports, governing bodies usually handle CPA talks with players' associations, but here the clubs appear to have taken greater control.

All eight Super Netball franchises are likely to have competing ideas that slow progress further, and it is unclear whether their interests will be prioritised over what is best for the sport as a whole.

The delay also has wider implications beyond the Australian team at the Games.

In-form Melbourne Mavericks star Shimona Nelson had already told Netball Jamaica she would be unavailable for Glasgow ahead of the Super Netball season. The goal shooter needs her tonsils removed and must deal with a knee issue.

Although the Sunshine Girls tried to change her mind, appearing at the major tournament would be risky. If she were injured, with only one-year contracts being offered, her position would be uncertain.

Nelson has chosen to put herself first, which the article says makes sense given her career history. After the Collingwood team disbanded, she had to work her way back into the league as a No.11 player with the Mavericks before earning a full-time contract the next season.

There has been a rumour that Nelson is not playing because she wants to represent the Diamonds at the next World Cup. She does plan to get her citizenship in September, purely to cement her status in a country she has lived in for almost 10 years and now calls home.

At this point, there have been no discussions between the Australian camp and Nelson about the possibility of her playing for the Diamonds.

The main sticking points in the CPA talks include a 25 per cent pay increase for those on the minimum wage and a three per cent increase for everyone else. The article says that once inflation, superannuation contributions and the rising cost of living are factored in, take-home pay could be worse in real terms.

The sport also continues to restrict opportunities for players to make extra money through sponsorship deals. The cap for commercial arrangements with an existing team sponsor or partner will rise to $50,000, but the agents want the cap removed entirely.

There are no monetary limits on sponsorships with third parties, but the agents say the amount of compliance needed for approval is unreasonable and pushes sponsors toward athletes from other codes.

“When athletes are able to work with brands and authentically leverage their own platforms, they bring different eyeballs to the sport … This should be viewed as a positive, not a threat,” Bode and Deiulio said.

“If netball does not evolve in this increasingly competitive female sports landscape, these limitations will have a broader impact on its growth and visibility.”