Netball Australia backflips on Diamonds selection ahead of World Cup over CPA dispute

Netball Australia has reneged on a selection time frame for the World Cup, insisting players first sign long-term Collective Player Agreements – a move that has left players fuming.

Netball Australia has reneged on a previously agreed time frame in which to inform Diamonds squad members of their involvement in the World Cup, insisting they sign long-term Collective Player Agreements before the team can be nominated.

Members of the Australian squad were meant to be informed on Tuesday whether or not they had won a place in the 15-woman Diamonds squad that will head to South Africa next month to play in the World Cup.

But players are now stuck in limbo, in what one source has described to News Corp as being “held to ransom”, told they will not be notified of selection until the CPA has been finalised.

Australian Diamonds players are being ‘held to ransom’ over a World Cup selection backflip from Netball Australia. Picture: Getty Images.

NA informed players and the Australian Netball Players’ Association (ANPA) that the Diamonds CPA had to be signed off before any team announcement could be made.

A meeting late on Monday between the players, ANPA representatives, NA chief executive Kelly Ryan and high performance staff underlined that decision, although with parties still working through the CPA – which is a stand-alone document for the national team totally separate to the Super Netball agreement which is also outstanding – there is currently no agreement for players to sign.

A NA spokeswoman said in a statement: “Netball Australia and ANPA are working through contracting, with players informed they will be notified of selection once this process has been finalised.”

NA’s insistence the players sign the CPA is understood to be based on good governance, although ANPA has apparently argued there is no need for it to be in place for players to be advised of selection.

Diamonds players were meant to be told of their selection on Tuesday June 13, but Netball Australia are insisting they sign long term Collective Player Agreements before the team can be nominated. Picture: Getty Images.

The parties signed off on an interim agreement last year that covered the 2022 Constellation Cup and series against England Roses, as well as this year’s Quad Series in South Africa.

But it’s understood NA wants a three-year agreement with its representative players and they won’t be informed about selection for the sport’s benchmark competition until that is in place.

Netball Australia chief executive Kelly Ryan met with players on Monday, where players were informed the Diamonds CPA had to be signed off before any team announcement could be made. Picture: Getty Images.

The Diamonds are understood to be infuriated by the decision, with one source saying the group had been “held to ransom” by the parent body.

But a source told News Corp the requirement for athletes to sign the CPA was not new information for ANPA or the players and they had been well aware for more than a week that the team would not be named without contracts in place.

Regardless, it’s another black eye for Australia’s No.1 sport for women and girls that continues to be in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

And another layer of frustration for already stressed athletes who have no clarity around the Super Netball situation with every player off contract at the end of the season and the search on for an eighth team to meet 2024 broadcast requirements with the Collingwood Magpies to play their final game in just days.

Originally published as Netball Australia backflips on Diamonds selection ahead of World Cup over CPA dispute