Suncorp Super Netball League Signs New Collective Player Agreement For 2020 And 2021

A newly agreed Collective Player Agreement (CPA) between the Australian Netball Players Association (ANPA) and the Suncorp Super Netball league will see Australia’s top netballers remain the highest-paid female domestic club athletes in Australia.

When the original landmark Suncorp Super Netball CPA was established in 2017, it was agreed that at the completion of 2019, the league and the ANPA would come together to review the terms and conditions and make improvements based on the learnings of the first three seasons.

The new agreement, which will cover the 2020 and 2021 seasons and take Suncorp Super Netball athletes and league through to the end of the current broadcast agreement, will see club salary caps increase by 8.65% this year.

Then, from 2021, the minimum salary of all contracted athletes will rise by 10% up to $33,000 which, in addition to the increased health insurance allowance of $2,667 and a technology allowance of $1,000, will result in an overall minimum payment to players of $36,667.

Suncorp Super Netball CEO, Chris Symington, said the league values collaborating with its athletes and the ANPA to strengthen the competition and appeal to the world’s best netballers.

“Suncorp Super Netball set the gold standard for women’s sport in announcing the inaugural Collective Player Agreement in 2017 and we’re thrilled to be able to work with the ANPA and our eight teams to ensure the league is constantly evolving and improving conditions for our athletes,” he said.

“Suncorp Super Netball is already the world’s premier netball competition and the league’s vision is to become the #1 women’s sport league globally, so we’ll continue to work proactively with all our stakeholders, particularly the playing group, to achieve that.”

The deal also recognises the increasing importance of athlete mental health and wellbeing and athlete wellbeing minimum standards will be introduced in 2020, whereby each team will commit to providing wellbeing services (to the equivalent of 0.3FTE in 2020, increasing to 0.5FTE in 2021), to work closely with the athletes and Netball Australia’s full-time National Wellbeing Manager.

In addition, from 2020:

A further $50,000 per team (maximum $15,000 per player) per year is allowed for additional payments to players from existing team sponsors
Payments for training partners will increase from $2,500 to $3,500
Athletes will be able to perform work related to “netball development” outside of their club’s salary cap
Three cars per club can be provided to players outside of the salary cap

ANPA CEO, Kathryn Harby-Williams, said the ANPA is extremely pleased with the outcome of the CPA negotiations and the spirit in which Netball Australia and the Suncorp Super Netball clubs approached the discussions.

“The playing group prioritised wellbeing and private health insurance, in addition to an increase in minimum salary and payment made to training partners.

“All of these areas have seen an uplift, which is of great benefit to the players,” she said.

“The focus on wellbeing and looking after the lower-paid players speaks volumes of the playing group’s maturity.

“All athletes involved in Suncorp Super Netball should feel proud of the outcome, particularly in the wellbeing space.

“The expansion in the commercial space is exciting as it provides opportunities for players to enhance their earning potential and develop relationships away from the court.”

The 2020 Suncorp Super Netball season kicks off on Saturday 2 May and all teams will gather for the league’s official pre-season tournament, the Suncorp Team Girls Cup, in Sydney on Friday 27 March.

Background and highlights of current CPA can be viewed here.