Super Netball premiers West Coast Fever ‘collateral damage’ in $15 million sponsorship saga

The Super Netball premiers have become “collateral damage” in the messy fallout from Netball Australia’s $15 million deal.

The West Coast Fever has become “collateral damage” in netball’s messy sponsorship saga that has seen Hancock Prospecting ditch its $15 million deal with Netball Australia.

On Saturday, Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting announced it had decided to “regrettably withdraw” its proposed partnership with Netball Australia after revelations Diamonds players had concerns about wearing a team uniform that included sponsorship branding from Ms Rinehart’s company.

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The issue came to a head when Indigenous player Donnell Wallam, who is line to make her Diamonds debut in the upcoming series against England, was said to be uncomfortable wearing a uniform with the Hancock Prospecting logo.

This was reportedly due to comments made by Rinehart’s father Lang Hancock in the 1980s.

Hancock Prospecting also announced that Roy Hill mining was withdrawing its support of Netball WA and the West Coast Fever, which won its first domestic Super Netball premiership earlier this year.

West Coast Fever CEO Simone Hansen said the club was “bitterly disappointed” to lose its main sponsor Roy Hill as a result of the Netball Australia situation.

Hancock Prospecting has withdrawn Roy Hill’s sponsorship of the West Coast Fever. (Photo by James Worsfold/Getty Images)

“We are the only SSN club directly impacted by this decision," Hansen said.

“We are collateral damage to the national situation and we are frustrated that all netball stakeholders were unable to come to a united position and that this has played out in the media,” she said.

“We were committed to the partnership and disappointed external factors outside of our control has resulted in the partnership being withdrawn.

“Our players do understand and recognise the value and necessity of commercial funding.

“Every single one of our players were supportive of our partnership with Roy Hill and sadly, they will be impacted the most by this decision.

“The club and West Australian netball has a long association with the mining sector and is extremely grateful for its ongoing support. The mining sector and its related businesses are essential to the livelihoods of many West Australians, including netball families.”

Sports writer Gideon Haigh was surprised by Hancock’s “gratuitous” decision to pull its funding of the Fever.

The West Coast Fever are collateral damage. (Photo by James Worsfold/Getty Images)

“The decision by Hancock Prospecting and Roy Hill seemed seemed to come out of the blue actually,” Haigh said on ABC’s Offsiders on Sunday.

“Particularly the gratuitous, additional factor of Roy Hill withdrawing sponsorship from Netball Western Australia and the West Coast Fever, who weren’t involved in this controversy at all .

“It actually seemed little bit like a fit of pique rather than an actual in principle decision about the issues at hand.”

In a statement issued on Saturday, Hancock Prospecting confirmed it had pulled its sponsorship of the sport, and its subsequent ties to Netball WA and the West Coast Fever.

“Hancock and Roy Hill were not made aware prior to the proposed partnerships, of the complexity of existing issues between Netball Australia and the Players Association,” the statement said.

“This includes the Players Association’s endeavours to gain a very substantial increase in wages during a time the sport is reeling financially, and unable to provide such an increase,” the statement read.

“Hancock, and similarly Roy Hill, embarked on these proposed partnerships in good faith and on the basis of representations and its resulting understanding that Netball Australia and the sport’s key stakeholder groups including the Australian Diamonds, were united in their support of one of West Australia’s pre-eminent mining companies becoming their principal sponsor.”

Australian Diamonds didn’t wear the Hancock logo. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

In a separate blistering statement, Rinehart and Hancock slammed “virtue signalling” by sports teams after sensationally tearing up its $15 million netball deal.

The company will still provide “short term funding” for four months as Netball Australia searches for an “alternative sponsor”.

Netball Australia is in significant debt after losing more than $7 million over the past two years, mostly due to costs associated with Super Netball.

It recently turned down a bid from a private equity company that offered a multimillion deal. Netball Australia instead signed its deal with Hancock but is now on the hunt for another sponsor.

The Diamonds get back on the court on Sunday night in the fourth and final game of the Constellation Cup against New Zealand. Australia must win to reclaim the Constellation Cup from the Silver Ferns.