Details of salary rort

WEST Coast Fever has admitted to actively offering players accommodation, travel, jobs and the use of cars outside the salary cap as part of the rort that rocked the club and the sport last year.

The netball club also admitted creating a scheme “designed to circumvent the league’s total salary cap”.

The Fever were fined $300,000 and stripped of 12 premiership points after being found guilty of breaching the Super Netball salary cap in 2017 and 2018 by close to $300,000.

In an open letter to supporters on Thursday, the Fever revealed it had provided players with “confirmation letters” along with their playing contracts, which referred to “additional support the club was willing to offer during their contract”.

That included use of the club’s fleet cars, support securing employment within or externally to the club and help covering the cost of accommodation and travel.

Offers were deliberately and consciously made to add value to the players’ contracts.

Coach Stacey Marinkovich, also the Australian Diamonds coach, was cleared of any wrongdoing.

“In announcing these breaches, and accepting the penalties handed down, we chose not to point directly at those responsible and apportion individual blame,” the club said.

“These actions, and their outcomes, are unacceptable. Those responsible for the actions that led to the breaches are no longer associated with West Coast Fever or with Netball WA in any way.”

West Coast made payments of $127,954 above the cap in 2018 (19.7 per cent over the limit) and $168,659 over the salary ceiling in 2019 (25.3 per cent).

The penalties were handed down in mid-December.

Thursday’s letter said the club chose to reveal the details “in the interest of preventing further harmful speculation” and to “take collective responsibility”.

The club said it had “co-operated fully with Netball Australia”.