Hoop dreams for Kiwi women
Female players will earn more than men in national league
In a groundbreaking move being heralded as a global first, New Zealand’s national women’s basketball league is undergoing a significant makeover that will see player salaries doubled, the season shift its timeframe and international expansion on the cards.
Most significantly, with confirmation of a major salary infusion courtesy of broadcasting partner Sky Television and chief commercial partners, the women of Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa will now earn more than their male counterparts for the 2024 season.
That, said Sky Sport’s head of commercialisation and fandom Justin Nelson, was a move that made this Kiwi women’s league a trailblazer in global sport.
“It’s groundbreaking in many ways,” Nelson said. “First and foremost the player payment is significant right around the world to show there is increased commerciality coming into women’s sport.
“To be in a position entering the third season where our athletes in the women’s game are earning more than the men is quite remarkable and hopefully sends a real message across the world that these things are possible.”
The Tauihi makeover includes as its pillars the doubling of player wages (it’s understood players will now earn as much as $3000 a week), targeting expansion for 2025 to include two international teams and shifting the league into an October-December slot that sees it go head to head with Australian equivalent the WNBL.
Stuff understands that Tauihi’s willingness to move into a time-frame heavily favoured by the broadcaster led to the significant cash injection. Nelson refused to comment on other sports in the picture for the partnership, but sources have indicated netball turned down the opportunity to move the ANZ premiership from its existing April-July season.
Though the new time-frame will see the league going head to head with the WNBL for Australasian talent, Nelson is confident salary levels now in play will enable the league to pick up its fair share of high-level local players.
The new three-month season also dovetails nicely with the world’s top league, the WNBA, and will enable players to springboard out of Tauihi into potential late-season opportunities in Europe and Australia.
Nelson said an “uncluttered” slot on the sporting calendar would lend the league maximum exposure and further strengthen its growing fan and viewership base, while there was massive upside in attracting players post the WNBA season which wraps up in October.
“This allows some of the very best players in the world to come here. We had nine WNBA-connected players last year, and this is going to open the door to a lot more.’’
Nelson also confirmed the league was well advanced in talks to bring two international expansion teams in for 2025 to join the existing five teams: defending champkions the Northern Kahu, the Tauranga-based Whai, Wellington’s Tokomanawa Queens, Christchurch’s Mainland Pouākai and Dunedin’s Southern Hoiho.
The league has been in talks with organisations from Australia and South East Asia and expect to announce successful bidders soon, with a strong possibility there could be an Australian team participating in a Kiwi national league.
“It’s very possible,” added Nelson. “We’ve identified those markets as places we think we can grow women’s basketball.”
Nelson said the Tauihi upgrade now put women’s basketball on a level playing field with netball in New Zealand.
“The option for players to earn good money is now here in New Zealand. Basketball is a truly global game, and the opportunities to expand into global athletes are higher than ever before.
“The increased commercialisation and innovations like rapid league, like our TikTok partnership, we believe are cornerstones that will help propel the Tall Ferns into a top-10 nation in the world.”
Kiwi WNBA trailblazer and Basketball NZ board member Megan Compain, a staunch advocate for parity in women’s sport, lauded the Tauihi league’s makeover.
“The players receiving a significant pay boost will financially put the teams ahead of many international leagues and really puts Tauihi on the map,” she said.