Netball: Kiwis lead the money stakes

New Zealand's top netball players appear to be getting a much better deal than their Australian rivals off the court.

This week the Australian Netball Players Association, to which all 120 players in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy belong, formed an alliance with the Australian Workers Union in an effort to improve pay, ensure good medical treatment and recover personal expenses.

"We want to be able to improve our earnings but we do recognise that netball is not a rich sport," Australian captain Liz Ellis told the Advertiser newspaper.

"We are realistic about what we want to achieve. This is all about having a stronger voice in the game. But we are all working for the good of the game."

Despite their dominance in the sport, it is understood Australia's top players are lucky to make US$4000 a year from the game. There is also no system in place to compensate for loss of earnings when players have to take days off work to travel to matches.

A survey conducted by the players association found many players were investing 30 to 40 hours a week in the sport as well as holding down a full-time job.

"We just want to try and get them a little more life balance," said Paul Bell, chief executive of the Netball Players Association.

"If they can earn a little more from their netball it means they might only have to work part-time rather than full-time."

New Zealand players are a little better off. Silver Ferns are estimated to earn US$15,000 to US$20,000 a year.

They are paid by Netball New Zealand, their National Bank Cup franchises and to play in the National Provincial Championships.

They are paid for international games and are partly compensated for income lost during their time with the Ferns. They also receive money for promotions and some players receive perks such as free lease cars.

The money Netball New Zealand pays the players comes out of its budget and through a Government grant designed to allow athletes to dedicate more time to training without worrying about the financial burden.

"The way we try to operate when paying them is to compensate them so some of them can work part-time,"said Netball New Zealand chief executive Shelley McMeeken.

"During the last world champs some of the players took some time off from their jobs or didn't quite work full-time, which clearly showed a huge advantage to us.

"There is huge time pressure on players and the [NNZ] board is very mindful of that."

McMeeken said the amount the players received had "progressed" over the years.

The New Zealand players do not have a player association. They negotiate their contracts as a group through Auckland lawyer Garth Gallaway, who is employed by Netball New Zealand.

The players tell Gallaway what they want and he negotiates it with Netball New Zealand.

The players are understood to be happy with the process but are still considering setting up a player association to make it more formal.

An area that is concerning the country's top players is the disparity in payments offered in the National Bank Cup.

Players can be offered anything from US$2000 a season through to US$30,000, depending on the wealth of the franchise. That means in some instances Silver Ferns are being paid less than regular players.

Netball New Zealand has no control over what the franchises pay - which some franchises would like to see changed.

"The franchises do have their own methods of compensation but I think it is really important to look at what the players are being compensated for," McMeeken said. "It is generally around promotions and the value they add."

What they earn

* Australians

Up to US$4000 a year

* New Zealanders

Up to US$20,000 a year