Australia captain Liz Watson opens up on controversial team sponsorship

There’s no boycott and Australia’s netballers support their controversial new sponsor, but they aren’t completely happy with how it all happened.

Australian Diamonds captain Liz Watson is adamant there is no disconnect between players and Netball Australia management but says “open conversations” are important to them after a contentious sponsorship continued to divert their attention from the current series against New Zealand.

But while Watson said the players were on-board with the $15m sponsorship from mining giant Hancock Prospecting, the logo still won’t be appearing on the player’s uniform when they take on the Silver Ferns on Wednesday Night in Melbourne.

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Netball Australia has declared it wouldn’t turn its back on the lucrative new deal, despite some consternation which is believed to have included opposition from new squad member Donnell Wallam, who would become just the third First Nations Diamond if she plays against England later this month.

She’s believed to have expressed concerns about the partnership due to the company’s past record on Indigenous and environmental issues.

The Diamonds didn’t wear the Hancock Prospecting logo on their dresses against the Silver Ferns, but talk of a player boycott has been dismissed.

Australian Diamonds netballers Lizzy Watson, Jo Weston and Kate Moloney with their uniforms showing the Hancock Prospecting logo that they have yet to wear. Picture: Instagram

But having met with representatives of Hancock Prospecting on Tuesday amid the fallout from the new deal, Watson said the players were “great supporters” of the new sponsor and would “work together” on making sure it benefited the sport at the highest level.

“The girls know this is a really big investment in our sport and it‘s going to do amazing things for our high-performance program, so we appreciate that,” Watson said.

But she also said the players took the matter of their legacy seriously, and that meant acting with a social conscious, and social responsibility, and having their voice heard when it came to sponsorships that could conflict with their values.

“I think we just need to align Netball Australia with our values,” she said.

“As a playing group we want to leave a legacy behind … we always say, you know the bib that we wear we want to leave it in a better position from when we went from when we get it. So I feel like it’s just having open conversations with them. And I know that they’re open to do that with us as well.

“I think that’s something we need to work on. Obviously we want to be strong with Netball Australia, we want to have open conversations with them. Like I said. timing probably wasn’t great in this environment right now, but I want the program to do well. I want the girls to do well. I want Netball Australia to do well. That is a no-brainer, so however we do that, communication is the key.

Donnell Wallam is set to become just the third First Nations Diamond. Picture: AAP Image/Jason O'Brien

“We are supported. We’ve got a players’ association that supports us as well. There are discussions when they need to be had. And I think it’s tricky because we are in performance mode, so we want to focus on that and leave the discussions to potentially post series.”

“I think we understand that there are things that can and can’t be said that it was probably the timing of it. And I think having these discussions in this time isn’t ideal, obviously. But we are strong and we want to perform and we will continue to do that.”

Watson said Wallam “knows where we stand” on the issue but also had the full support of the playing group.

“We’re supporting her sensitivities around the program around the partnership,” Watson said.

“She is obviously new to the group to come in here to actually just be herself and feel comfortable and strong. And I know that the girls are supportive of that.”