Hancock Prospecting has announced it will withdraw from its AUD$15 million sponsorship deal with Netball Australia, following athlete protests against the company’s presence on their uniforms during the 2022 Constellation Cup.

Owner of the Australian mining company, Gina Rinehart, ripped up the agreement it had recently struck, following a protest that saw Diamond’s athletes electing to wear an old strip instead of the one adorned with the Hancock Prospecting branding.

In a statement, Hancock Prospecting, said: “Hancock and Roy Hill do not wish to add to netball’s disunity problems”.

The deal was seen as a lifeline for Netball Australia, which had reported losses of $7 million over the past two years.

Commenting on the decision by Hancock Prospecting to withdraw their support, Netball Australia CEO, Kelly Ryan, said: “We acknowledge the difficulties and impact of recent discussions and are disappointed to see them withdraw the partnership.”

“This is a loss for the whole sport, from grassroots through to the elite program.

“Sadly, this is evident today with the decision to also withdraw financial support for Netball WA and the West Coast Fever,” she said.

A statement released by the Diamonds players refutes previous reports of the protest standing on environmental grounds, or it having lead to a split amongst the playing group, instead, their singular concern is to support indigenous team mate, Donnell Wallam.

Additionally, Roy Hill, another mining company owned by Rinehart, has withdrawn it’s support from Netball WA and the western state’s Super Netball team, the West Coast Fever.