Australia's elite netballers are wasting no time reminding Netball Australia that the new five-year broadcast deal is a launchpad, not a finish line. Speaking to the ABC in the days after the agreement was announced, a senior Diamonds player said pay outcomes from the next Collective Player Agreement must now reflect the improved commercial position the sport has secured.
For years, Super Netball has been trapped in a frustrating commercial paradox. It has been a marquee women's sport with strong television ratings relative to player wages, but the previous broadcast arrangement limited its revenue ceiling. Player unions and senior athletes have consistently argued that the minimum salary, which sits significantly below that of the equivalent elite AFLW, NRLW and WNBL structures when measured against hours worked, is not sustainable for a genuinely professional league.
With the new deal locking in free-to-air exposure from 2027 and bringing with it additional sponsorship uplift - an area Netball Australia's commercial team has already signalled it will move on quickly - the expectation is that players will press for a more aggressive step-change in pay scales than the incremental bumps of previous CPAs.
The Australian Netball Players' Association has declined to publicly declare a number, but those close to the negotiations have indicated the starting position will include both a significant base-pay lift and a more sophisticated revenue-share mechanism, ensuring players benefit directly if the new broadcast partners drive the ratings and sponsorship growth that both parties expect.
There is also a human element driving the public pressure. A number of senior players, including several current Diamonds, have openly spoken this season about needing to juggle second jobs, part-time business ventures and study alongside full professional training schedules. The argument from within the playing group is that such arrangements are incompatible with the physical and mental demands of modern elite sport, and that the new deal creates the financial room for the game to finally deliver full professionalism across the board.
Netball Australia has publicly welcomed the call and has committed to opening formal CPA discussions later this year. For the game's players, however, the message is already clear: the broadcast deal changed the economic reality of Australian netball, and the next contract must reflect that new reality.