Absolutely huge news in the continued push for women in sport today, with work trickling through that Cricket Australia is set to make its women cricket the highest paid team sport in the country.
CA released a statement earlier this afternoon confirming that their financial commitment to elite women players will almost double this coming year, meaning a whopping pay rise for players that will push their salaries into true professional regions.
The board will increase their financial commitment up to $4.23million, up from the previous level of $2.36million.
This means that Australia’s highest paid female cricketers will be bringing home in excess of $100,000 per contracted season.
The pay rise will see maximum retainers for Southern Stars players rise from $49,000 to $65,000, with maximum retainers for the Women’s Big Bash League season hiked up to $15,000 as well. When combined with match payments and tour fees, the top Southern Stars players will be earning well above $100k for their services.
At the lower end of the scale, the pay increase means that entry-level players will still be paid a liveable wage, with the minimum retainer for the Southern Stars raised up from $19,000 all the way to $40,000, and the minimum rate for the WBBL up to $7,000 from the previous mark of $3k.
Down at state level, the best domestic players in the Women’s National Cricket League will now be taking home $26,000 per season.
Today’s announcement also includes a number of new or improved initiatives for elite female players, such as improved travel and accomodation conditions, an updated pregnancy policy, restrictions of the number of training hours required by national league sides for women who are studying or working, and reduced commercial restrictions for female players WNCL and WBBL players seeking external sponsorship deals.
CA also revealed that an additional $500,000 will be put aside to cover private health insurance costs for female players.
CA CEO James Sutherland championed the move in a statement issued to media.
“Cricket is a sport for all Australians and Cricket Australia will continue to invest heavily in the women’s game in the coming years. We are determined to make cricket the sport of choice for women in Australia.”
“We have worked constructively with the Australian Cricketers’ Association to reach this point and will continue to do so in our ongoing efforts to improve wages and workplace conditions for all elite female cricketers.”“The Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars have achieved great success on the world stage, including making it through to the recent final of the ICC World T20 in India, and are great role models for the next generation of Australia’s aspiring female cricketers. The Women’s Big Bash League has created a revolution with outstanding ratings that make it the most popular women’s team sport in the country.”“Of the more than 1.2 million people of all ages currently playing cricket in Australia almost a quarter of them are women and girls. That number continues to grow rapidly and we will continue to support females playing the game from backyard to baggy green.”
Cricket Australia also revealed its list of contracted players for the 2016-17 season, which includes the ICC world number one ranked batter in Meg Lanning, the ICC number one ranked all-rounder Elise Perry, and seventeen year old sensation Lauren Cheatle.
Australia’s women’s team remains the number one ranked side in the world.
Source: Cricket Australia.
Photo: Chris Hyde/Getty.
