Netball news: Players Association seek mediation as pay dispute remains unresolved

The Australian Netball Players’ Association claims they have “bent over backward” to come to an agreement with Netball Australia but negotiations remain stalled, writes LINDA PEARCE.

Australian Netball Players’ Association boss and former Diamonds captain Kathryn Harby-Williams. Picture: Michael Dodge/Getty Images

Netball’s industrial dispute drags ever onward, with the player union seeking mediation to break the Collective Player Agreement impasse and Netball Australia reiterating that any revenue-share model is unaffordable, while threatening to take its latest “groundbreaking partnership offer” directly to athletes they claim have not been sufficiently informed.

The stalemate deepened on Monday when the Australian Netball Players’ Association confirmed in a statement that the latest talks with Netball Australia to secure a “fair partnership” with the governing body had failed.

Moreover, ANPA claimed that there continued to be “a dynamic in these negotiations whereby the players believe they have bent over backwards and made significant concessions to reach agreement without reciprocity’’.

But, after responding with their own strongly-worded statement outlining the latest CPA proposal from NA and the eight Super Netball clubs that it says includes a $1.275 million (or 20 per cent) increase in investment over three years, CEO Kelly Ryan told CODE that the fact an outperformance mechanism had been tabled via a 25 per cent profit share partnership that would kick in after the first $500,000 of SSN profit showed NA and the clubs had moved “a very long way” from their original position.

Ryan said that first-ever profit share would come on top of a nine per cent rise in the base wage over the next three years, “increased potential commercial earnings, extra playing and earning opportunities with the introduction of rookies” and other concessions provided despite no major new revenue streams before the end of the current broadcast deal in 2026.

“NA and the teams are 100 per cent aligned on what we’ve given ANPA by way of an offer; cannot make that any clearer that this talks to where the financial position of the sport is,’’ Ryan said.

“It is a great offer. It’s vastly improved on the offer they’ve got today, and the fact that they haven’t even taken this to their players is highly concerning.’’

Ryan said NA had acted in good faith by not communicating directly with the players, but allowing ANPA to do so. “However despite our numerous requests for them to take our offers to the players they have continually refused to do that, so we probably are left with no other avenue aside from communicating directly with the players, which is not what we wanted to do.’’

The major sticking point continues to be the revenue – rather than profit – share model sought by ANPA, which lists other thwarted player proposals as:

• real player/administrator partnership
• fair share of above-forecast sponsorship only
• significant first tranche of profit allocated to NA to manage their financial challenges
• fair and affordable minimum remuneration
• agreed levels of SSN financial transparency
• increasing investment in the ANPA to support players and their wellbeing without unreasonable restrictions
  

Netball Australia CEO Kelly Ryan. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

It is believed that ANPA had agreed to extend the terms of the CPA deal from its preferred 12 months, based on what it considers the inadequate current information being supplied, to the three years preferred by NA and the clubs.

To try to expedite a deal, it had also watered down its revenue-share ambitions to a percentage of above-forecast sponsorship, rather than a cut of overall revenue.

“Our requests are very modest and tailored to meet the challenging financial circumstances of the times,’’ the ANPA statement said.

“It’s also disappointing that Netball Australia says ‘no’ to a player partnership model which aligns the interests of both parties in the good times and the bad …

“We cannot in good conscience lock players into an unfair three-year deal which does not reflect their value and contribution. Adding to the players’ concern is a lack of clarity around the finances underpinning the game, and uncertainty around the strategic direction for netball.

“Netball needs to have a true partnership with its players, a clear strategy and financial transparency to the benefit of parties associated with the sport, as recommended by the State of the Game report.’’

Urging NA to join the players in mediation, it added: “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 have also informed Netball Australia that the players have assigned their intellectual property rights to the ANPA, which we will now meet with players to discuss the management and use of until a new CPA can be agreed.’’

Even the World Cup-winning Diamonds are without a CPA. Picture: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Netball World Cup 2023 via Getty Images

The most recent meeting, on Saturday morning, included Netball Australia CEO Kelly Ryan, head of integrity Nicole Malcher, board members John O’Sullivan and Peter Legg. In ANPA’s corner were CEO Kathryn Harby-Williams plus adviser Ian Prendergast, but the talks still failed to broker a resolution.

Asked how any solution can ever be found when NA and the clubs refuse to entertain the revenue share deal that ANPA is insisting on, Ryan said she remained optimistic, while admitting it would be “difficult’’.

She acknowledged mediation as “always an option in these conversations, but we know how much mediation slows down the process’’. That included agreeing on a mediator, then working through past information and positions from all parties in what is ultimately a non-binding process.

“We cannot do a revenue share because the sport would sustain greater losses than what we’re currently doing today, which we just can’t subscribe to,’’ she said, denying that the model was standard across Australian sports.

“And the sports that (ANPA) are trying to refer to are sports that make billions of dollars, that have the revenue to pay their cost base and we are not in that position.

“We at this particular point, as you are actually aware of our financial position, are still making losses when it comes to most pockets of this sport, including Super Netball. So if we were to give up revenue before we’d actually paid down our losses, then we’d just go into a much bigger debt than what we currently are.’’

Australian netball's pay dispute shows no sign of resolution in the short term.

Yet even if the CPA terms can be agreed in the near future, a stalemate remains in the Team Participation Agreements which must also be signed-off before contracting can begin.

Despite some real progress several weeks ago, ongoing disagreement over commercial issues are yet to be resolved.

All 80 Super Netball athletes have been out of contract since October 1, despite the majority of deals having been agreed to in a non-binding sense.

The world champion Diamonds — currently at a training camp in Canberra — play New Zealand in the opening Constellation Cup match at John Cain Arena on Thursday.

Originally published as Netball news: Players Association seek mediation as pay dispute remains unresolved