{"id":350423,"date":"2023-11-29T23:24:38","date_gmt":"2023-11-30T00:24:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=350423"},"modified":"2023-11-30T04:04:10","modified_gmt":"2023-11-30T04:04:10","slug":"scary-reality-of-netballs-incredibly-broken-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=350423","title":{"rendered":"'Scary' reality of netball's 'incredibly broken' state"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former Australian Diamonds<\/a> star Natalie Butler, n\u00e9e Medhurst, has described the fallout of the pay dispute between the Australian Netball Players' Association (ANPA) and Netball Australia<\/a> like mourning, such is the prolific impact it is having on the sport.<\/p>\n

"You kind of feel like you're grieving a loss of the sport and what it once was because it's just a shadow of that now," she told Wide World of Sports.<\/p>\n

A former president of the ANPA before she retired from the top grade in 2020, Butler was heavily involved in negotiating previous collective player agreements (CPA).<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Why ugly netball dispute is years in the making<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Luai bombshell pinned on notorious agent<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> 'Insane' sight as Aussies flock for LIV star<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Natalie<\/p>\n

Butler was at the helm of the ANPA when the COVID-19 pandemic uprooted the 2020 Super Netball<\/a> season and therefore can relate to the strain on ANPA chief executive Kathryn Harby-Williams and current president Jo Weston.<\/p>\n

However, she \ufeffadmits that this current state of affairs "certainly takes the cake".<\/p>\n

\ufeff"People are sometimes very quick to forget that it's not just the players in the league that the players' association is looking after but they do care about the health and growth of the sport in its entirety. So it's an enormous responsibility," Butler says.<\/p>\n

"It's very draining, very taxing. \ufeffThere would be a lot of pressure because you can't escape what's happening \u2014 comments from people who don't understand everything as well.<\/p>\n

"There would also be a lot of pressure \ufeffbecause the players are now heading into their ninth week without pay."<\/p>\n

Super Netball players have essentially been unemployed since the previous CPA expired on September 30.<\/p>\n

In the absence of a new deal to replace the old one, \ufeffall Super Netball players are out of contract with no wage, and all eight clubs have come to a standstill.<\/p>\n

Despite \ufeffnegotiations repeatedly stalling over the type of share model that the sport would enter into in partnership with the players<\/a>, Butler is hopeful of a result that benefits all involved.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

"\ufeff[The players] know what they are standing for and this is why they have taken the position they have and are holding true to it," she says.<\/p>\n

"It's \ufeffgoing to come to an end at some point, but with what long-term damage."<\/p>\n

Both sides made their arguments public\ufeff when negotiations broke down last month<\/a> after the ANPA rejected a profit-sharing plan that would have seen the players receive 25 per cent of the profit generated by the league.<\/p>\n

The ANPA is instead advocating for a hybrid revenue share and profit share model where the players receive 20-25 per cent of the income generated by sponsorship before expenses are deducted to determine profit.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, \ufeffthe players association refused a holdover deal from Netball Australia<\/a> which included an immediate 11 per cent pay rise and back pay from October 1.<\/p>\n

However, this would only defer the share model component of the CPA which the players have repeatedly asked for.<\/p>\n

Talks between the two parties have entered \ufeffindependent mediation.<\/p>\n

There have been differing reports around who has been brought in as a mediator with Netball Australia supposedly wanting to pay for a mediator rather than utilising options that are willing to assist on goodwill.<\/p>\n

Senior federal politician Bill Shorten was brought in to attend meetings and assess options but the process is in stalemate.<\/p>\n

While Butler \ufeff\ufeffdoes not see the stoush being resolved \ufeffbefore the new year, she outlined that Netball Australia's broadcast agreement with the Foxtel Group would be driving a compromise.<\/p>\n

\"Hannah<\/p>\n

"There would be a deadline … but that's coming from broadcast and commercial obligations of the sport," she says.\ufeff<\/p>\n

"They've signed \ufefffor X number of seasons so there's a contractual obligation that the season does get put up in some way, shape or form."<\/p>\n

This includes the league's pre-season competition, the Team Girls Cup\ufeff.<\/p>\n

"\ufeffI'm aware that there has been a day that's been locked in for the Team Girls Cup\ufeff at this stage but whether or not that even goes ahead who knows," Butler says.<\/p>\n

"\ufeffThis whole process has been going on for such a long time that whenever mediation comes in, even if that was signed off this week, there is still a lot of background that needs to be put out before they can start getting into the nitty gritty and making inroads."<\/p>\n

While the financial struggles of the sport have been examined over the years, Butler believes that what the players' association is championing is "absolutely fair and reasonable".<\/p>\n

She also says that a move to a hybrid model is long overdue as the ANPA has been pushing for the condition for years.<\/p>\n

Butler was also heading the ANPA when Australia's elite domestic league rebranded from the ANZ Championship\ufeff to the Super Netball League in 2017.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Butler marks \ufeffthis period of huge change as when tensions between the players and the governing body began to mount.<\/p>\n

"There's been ripples for a long time because of how \ufeffsome things have happened in the past," she says.<\/p>\n

"We could go back to things such as [introducing] the two-goal super shot and the way in which all of that unfolded.<\/p>\n

"\ufeffThat started a shift in how the players were engaged with, and I think that the players understand that they aren't the ultimate decision makers whatsoever and they have always wanted to play a key role in the growth of the sport.<\/p>\n

"Decisions being made and big significant changes as well without working with the playing group \u2014 that's the key thing [to the pay dispute]. Collaborating with the players just hasn't been there."<\/p>\n

In all of this, Butler feels that the biggest question is \ufeffhow the ANPA and Netball Australia get past this feud \u2014 which she describes as a "scary" position for netball in Australia to be in.<\/p>\n

"Whenever this is resolved, it's not going to go back to happy families at all," she says.<\/p>\n

"The relationship \ufeffbetween the two parties is incredibly broken."<\/p>\n

\"Netball<\/p>\n

\ufeffWith no CPA in place, player movements and signings for 2024 have been delayed. This has prevented every club from announcing their 2024 teams, instilling job security and meeting commercial obligations.<\/p>\n

"\ufeffThe entire playing group of all 80 players are having to deal with this because nothing can be confirmed," Butler said.<\/p>\n

"There are players that want to move everywhere, there are international players whose visas are under threat, we've got players whose retirements have been delayed on the back of what's happening [and] players who have ended international careers and haven't been able to be celebrated properly.<\/p>\n

\"Stephanie<\/p>\n

"\ufeffThe playing group and Netball Australia both have frustrations but the sources of their frustrations are different and it would be taking its toll on both ends no doubt."<\/p>\n

Having dedicated \ufeff17 years of her life to professional netball, which included stepping on-court in the goal attack position more than 200 times, Butler admits that the events of the pay dispute and the erosion of trust between the players and Netball Australia have been incredibly sad to watch.<\/p>\n

"It's really, really hard to sit back and watch," she says.<\/p>\n

"\ufeffI've gone from hurt and anger to grief in some ways to see the sport in this position.<\/p>\n

"\ufeffI've had phone calls with other people where I'm a bit emotional because it sucks.<\/p>\n

"For everyone's sake, you hope \ufefffor a win-win situation and that both parties are able to give a little to get the best outcome for the players and the sport in its entirety."<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Former Australian Diamonds star Natalie Butler, n\u00e9e Medhurst, has described the fallout of the pay dispute between the Australian Netball Players' Association (ANPA) and Netball […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":350425,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350423"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=350423"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350423\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":350430,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350423\/revisions\/350430"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/350425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=350423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=350423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=350423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}