The two sides have been some distance apart with Netball Australia adamant that the revenue share the Australian Netball Players’ Association (ANPA) wants is not viable as the governing body has debts of more than $4.2 million.
Former Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander sided with the players saying national team selections shouldn’t be “held to ransom over this”.
Netball Australia said it had offered more benefits to players and an “upside provision should the sport overachieve on its metrics in the next three years” but had yet to receive a response from the ANPA.
Netball Australia says it is within its rights under the player selection policy as it can’t name a team until “contracts are signed” but the union has called on them to “decouple” the national team from negotiations in the interest of player wellbeing.
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The player selection policy includes a section on player wellbeing stating players should know 24 hours before any team announcement whether they are in or out and that Netball Australia should have “standard operating procedures and wellbeing support” for players ahead of the naming of national teams.
The ANPA said in an Instagram story on Wednesday night that players had met and reacted with “confusion,anger and sadness” at Netball Australia’s use of something as cherished as World Cup selection as a bargaining chip.