Pay talks loom for Ferns
‘‘The question then is, what do we do with the players who aren’t in those overseas competitions but are playing all the time for the White Ferns?’’ Heath Mills
Better pay, a release to play the big Twenty20 leagues around the world and more investment in the development of emerging White Ferns.
As the New Zealand women’s team share the stage with the Black Caps against India at our biggest stadiums in coming days, the Cricket Players’ Association is preparing to go into bat for the country’s 15 professional women cricketers.
The current Master Agreement expires on July 31 and negotiations with New Zealand Cricket on the new one are expected to start within a month.
As it stands, top White Ferns like Suzie Bates earn about $50,000 from their NZC contracts and tip their annual earnings into six figures by playing in the England and Australia women’s T20 leagues. And a third may be not far off with India expected to launch its own women’s competition soon.
CPA boss Heath Mills, who signed off on the men’s Master Agreement with NZC last July which guaranteed them 26.5 per cent of revenue generated from professional cricket, said a pay increase and ability to play in those women’s T20 leagues went hand in hand.
‘‘We’re keen to try and preserve the ability of our players to participate freely in those competitions. It’s an important aspect for us,’’ Mills said.
For NZC it means their top five or six woman players receive roughly half their incomes from offshore and it doesn’t have to dip as far into its limited cash well.
That brings us to how much NZC will be prepared to increase the women’s retainers and match fees, and whether it increases the number of contracted players from 15 to 20.
Pay parity is unrealistic, given nearly all the professional cricket revenue is generated by the men’s team, but there is certainly a push for a better deal for the women.
Across the Tasman the top women earn up to $180,000 from their Cricket Australia contracts.
But that pales in comparison to the $3 million-plus the top male Australian cricketers earn, even before the Indian Premier League earnings are thrown in.
The gap is closer in New Zealand but it’s still significant, with Bates at around $50,000 from her NZC retainer and match fees and top Black Caps earner Kane Williamson at $400,000-plus.
‘‘We see that NZC is investing more in women’s cricket which is great and we understand their intention is to continue to do that.
‘‘It’s about working with them as to where that investment is going to be,’’ Mills said.
Recent White Ferns matches against the Big Three – Australia, England and India – showed the gap getting wider on the field as the powerhouse nations invest heavily in women’s cricket.
Money is a big part of that, said Mills, with the Big Three generating annual revenue of $500 million-plus and NZC at around $50 million.
And while the stars like Bates, Sophie Devine, Amy Satterthwaite and Lea Tahuhu make a handy living against the best in the world, the next tier of White Ferns is a key focus of negotiations too.
Depth remains an issue in the White Ferns, with promising players making the leap from the amateur one-day and T20 competitions (with the stars absent playing the Big Bash) into international cricket.
‘‘The question then is, what do we do with the players who aren’t in those overseas competitions but are playing all the time for the White Ferns?
‘‘We’re keen to discuss New Zealand A opportunities or winter training squads. How can we get a bit more cricket for the next group of players, effectively seven to 20,’’ Mills said.
The likes of Amelia Kerr, who turned down a Big Bash deal after a big year, Bernadine Bezuidenhout and Hannah Rowe are among those key next tier players.
Captain Satterthwaite, speaking on the eve of the Waitangi Day double-header against India, said the Master Agreement would become a key focus after this series and their three-match tour of Australia this month.
‘‘It’s an exciting time for women’s cricket and they way it’s growing around the world.’’