TURF war talk and pay debates usually means crisis point in sport, but when it comes to women in the field, such hot topics are only a good thing at the highest levels.
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Australian women’s sport has been pushing into mainstream headlines so much this month that the only turf war talks will soon become about eating into news air-time and print copy traditionally dedicated to horse racing and Test cricket.
Will Netball Australia’s landmark collective player agreement, unveiled this week, obstruct the new AFL women’s league?
Hardly. If anything, the newly named AFL Women’s gave netball the contact bump it needed to dramatically increase player payments and conditions for next year’s inaugural National Netball League.
This was Netball Australia’s bump back to reinforce its status as the benchmark for Australian women’s sport in a changing landscape for women’s team sports. And it wants to reinforce its status as the highest participation sport for Australian women.
Netball Australia deputy chief executive Marne Fechner acknowledged netballers, like players of other women’s codes could leave the court to pursue AFL.
"From my point of view, our job is to ensure that the over half a million girls want to be a Diamond or a Championship player, and as long as we do that, we will be challenged, and I think that's a good thing,” Ms Fechner told Fairfax Media.
Netball Australia’s play sends a warning to AFL Women’s, Women’s Big Bash League cricket, W-League soccer and Women’s National Basketball League to keep lifting their game.
Most importantly, right now, sporting fans are talking and debating women’s sport.
Newly recruited Brisbane Lion Kaitlyn Ashmore told The Courier last week she could hardly believe she would soon be paid to play with a national league club and was rapt footy fans had cared so much about AFL Women’s pay.
Code jumping is inevitable for a hyped-up, AFL-backed new league. Fremantle this week signed leading Australian javelin thrower Kim Mickle, while fellow Rio Olympian Erin Phillips will join Adelaide Crows when her Women’s National Basketball Association season ends in the United States.
But we are about to see leaps within netball ranks, boosted by the new pay deal and debut of three football-aligned clubs in Collingwood, Greater Western Sydney and Sunshine Coast-based Melbourne Storm.
Diamond Madi Robinson is expected to turn Black-and-White early next week when the NNL contract period opens. The newly crowned ANZ Championship (Australian) most valuable player has already flagged she is leaving Melbourne Vixens, a team she captained this year.
No longer will netballers need to stay content for playing at the highest levels. They are truly moving into a professional era, and the best will have added negotiation power.
With power comes responsibility, and the ball is in the court of our leading female athletes to ensure the grassroots game and pathways keep growing strong enough to support them.