The future of the ANZ Premiership is uncertain from 2027 after players agreed to a hefty pay cut this year. Photo / Andrew Cornaga, Photosport
By Bridget Tunnicliffe of RNZ
A big drop in broadcast rights revenue has inevitably led to player pay cuts for the domestic netball league, and another year of uncertainty beckons for New Zealand’s top netballers.
In July last year, Netball New Zealand finally secured a broadcast deal for the 2026 ANZ Premiership, after months of negotiations.
Sky Sport had been the main broadcast partner since 2008, but the national body signed a one-year agreement with TVNZ, marking the return of the sport on free-to-air television.
RNZ understands Sky TV’s offer was substantially lower than any of its previous deals with Netball New Zealand. How much TVNZ is paying for the rights, if anything, has not been disclosed.
Despite the league being cut from three rounds to two last year, ANZ Premiership players managed to stave off pay cuts in 2025.
But NZ Netball Players Association executive manager Steph Bond said that, under the collective employment agreement signed late last year, players were taking a 20% pay cut in 2026.
“That is slightly skewed by the fact that they will actually be doing less work than they were two years ago, when they played more games, so it does, I guess, balance out pro-rata. But in saying that, it’s not an ideal position to be in.
“I think everyone recognises that players continuing to get paid and get paid well to play sport really helps make the sport successful.”
Under the 20% reduction, ANZ Premiership retainers now range from $20,800 to a maximum payment of $44,800.
RNZ understands that the best-paid players in Australia’s Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) league can earn about $120,000.
ANZ Premiership players could still earn extra money via non-playing and third-party agreements through their franchises at the same level as before.
Not every player will get less money this year.
With nine current and former Silver Ferns set to play in the SSN this season, the ANZ Premiership has lost several tier-1 players.
Some who were once tier-2 will now find themselves as tier-1 players, so will earn the maximum retainer.
With no broadcast plan in place for the domestic league beyond this year, the collective contract covers only 2026 – a repeat of the situation players found themselves in last year.
Bond said, “It is really concerning, and it does feel like we have been in this position for a number of years, but it is the position we find ourselves, in terms of what the broadcast market has put in front of us and that changing landscape, and it is something that the players have learnt to live with over the last couple of years.
“It’s not a space we want to continually be in, and I think being able to do more work around what the future looks like for the game and provide a bit more long-term certainty for each collective would be a place that everyone really wants to get to.”
Silver Ferns retainers have not been affected. It remains to be seen whether Sky TV will continue to broadcast Silver Ferns’ tests.
Last week, Netball NZ announced the appointment of interim chief executive Jane Patterson, following the resignation of Jennie Wyllie in December after a disastrous year for the national body.
The biggest controversy came in September when Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua and her coaching team were suspended, over concerns about the high-performance environment.
Two Silver Ferns players, on behalf of a group of seven, raised concerns with the Players’ Association in June.
Taurua was later reinstated after agreeing with Netball NZ to embed changes to the Silver Ferns’ programme and environment.
Stephen Hotter resigned earlier this month from his role as head of high performance, which he had held since the start of 2023.
Last week, Netball NZ announced that Chelsea Lane had been appointed head of performance for the Silver Ferns. Her experience includes senior roles in basketball’s NBA, one of the most high-profile sports leagues in the world.
While Hotter’s role was broader, in that he also had an overview of the ANZ Premiership, Under-21s programme and the Secondary Schools programme, Lane’s sole focus will be on the Silver Ferns.
When Taurua was reinstated, it wasn’t clear what would happen to her long-time assistant coach Deb Fuller, or specialist coach Briony Akle.
Netball NZ said Lane would help to “assemble the team that will take the programme forward” and “strengthen leadership” within the Silver Ferns high-performance programme.
Bond said Lane’s appointment was a positive step.
“From all accounts, Chelsea has a strong background around working in professional sport and in high-performance environments, so we have a lot of confidence that she can come in and support, and we’ve already had several meetings with Chelsea around how she can, I guess, impact and influence that environment, so it is a great environment moving forward.”
Bond said the Players’ Association would meet soon with Patterson, who started this week.
Former Silver Fern Tracey Fear, who was brought in to support the team when Taurua was suspended, is still contracted part-time to support high performance due to her specific netball knowledge.
- RNZ