21 May 2013 is now no ordinary day in the Australian sporting calendar. It will go down in history as the day that women’s sport took a giant leap towards professionalism.
On a sunny day in Sydney, with guests packed into Quay restaurant, James Sutherland, CEO of Cricket Australia, proudly announced that the Cricket Australia Board, led strongly by the current Chair, Wally Edwards, had taken the decision to allocate $1.59 million for the coming season for women’s player contracts at both Cricket Australia and State contract levels.
As James announced this, the room applauded the level of support the current crop of female athletes were about to receive.
In front of James sat a number of pioneers of the game, both on and off the field.
They included Maragret Jennings, who captained Australia in the 70’s and was also the Chair of selectors for the Southern Stars for a numbers of years; the Governor General, Quentin Bryce who not only is the Southern Stars number one supporter but who also played a significant role to ensuring integration of Women’s Cricket Australia and Cricket Australia; Australia’s most successful captain, Belinda Clark, who also holds one of the most important roles in Cricket Australia as the Senior Manager of the Centre of Excellence; and finally Rina Horem the first ever female to sit on a cricket board, Cricket NSW.
It must have been a very proud moment for those ladies, all of whom have spent countless hours on and off the field championing the women’s cause for better facilities, resources and the final hurdle, pay.
I believe that Rina was emotional when the announcement was made and all of us that were lucky enough to be invited will never forget the special day.
With this amount of money available to players it will see CA’s top contracts move from $15,000 to $52,000 and the minimum contract increased from $5,000 to $25,000. Gone are the days where the Australian team ran raffles to raise money for their tour, knit their own Test jumper on the boat to England and take leave without pay to play for their country.
Other increases included players’ tour allowance going from $100 per day to $250 per day. With a busy schedule ahead of our Southern Stars, with up to 85 days of touring, this will mean the top female cricketers have the potential to earn $70,000 to $80,000 for next season.
For me the biggest and most important announcement of the day was when James explained that each State Association and Cricket ACT would be allocated $100,000 a year towards contracts for their female players, with the maximum retainer being $7,000 and the minimum $2,500.
In addition, all female domestic players will also receive match payment for the first time, with a 50-over match (WNCL) earning $200 and a T20 (WT20) earning $120.
This will be the first time across the board that domestic players will have an opportunity to come out even at the end of the cricket season, instead of representing your State being an expense.
For a long time the players have felt that the domestic competition isn’t as strong as it could be, with players aged over 25 unable to commit to the domestic expectations due to their desire for a career and their need to earn money.
This money will hopefully allow those types of players a chance to stay longer in the game because they won’t need to juggle between University, part-time job, training requirements, and of course playing days.
I had always hoped that female cricketers would be able to achieve this level of support, but thought that it would still be a few years away.
With the recent success of the Southern Stars, by winning both the T20 and 50 over World Cups within a six month period, it has seen an unprecedented amount of media attention and support for the females who play cricket, and this has prompted the board to act.
I hope this will prompt other sporting organisations to act accordingly, where they have the financial resources in the game to do so, and support their female athletes appropriately. Hats off to Cricket Australia who have led the way in this field.
Look out everyone, the Southern Stars are here to play!
Richard
Guest
Great to see.
Don Corleone
Guest
You're right Lisa, the Southern Stars games which have been broadcast on subscription TV have been on par with the ALeague audience. Perhaps with Network Ten's apparent commitment to broadcasting the cricket, hopefully we'll see the women's game on free-to-air. Thanks for all the great work you've done with the NSW Cricket Academy program which my daughter has been a part of for 2 years and really enjoys.
Ra
Guest
Good on you Aussie cricket. Women's sports has been the poor cousin for years and years in this country and have probably been more lauded in other parts of the world than they have back at home, netball has been a great example of that. Kiwis, South Africans and West Indians in particular have held the Aussie girls in high esteem, yet I have seen their victories internationally not even reported by local media. That could be because the sport is highly female dominated, whereas other sports are dominated by males and attracts corporate dollars, bums on seats and media coverage. Netball now has it's place in the media landscape now-a-days alongside their peers in popular male sports. Once again, good on you Aussie Cricket, it's not a lot (when broken down) but it's a start.
Pope Paul VII
Guest
Cheer up Pedro. You go girls.
JOHN WARN - Chairman CNSW
Guest
This is wonderful news for Womens cricket in Australia All at CNSW were deligthed and supportive of this great step forward and applaud CA
Lisa Sthalekar
Expert
Thanks Kersi, it was nice to see you the other day as well. I think when the girls are getting on the plane to play in the Ashes in August I will wish that I was playing to, but everyone has to end their career at some point. Still happy with my decision. See you around the ground.
Lisa Sthalekar
Expert
Cricket Australia has been stating that it wants to be Australias No. 1 sport. In order for that to take place they need to appeal to females. Women are the key decision makers when it comes to what sport their child will play as they are the ones normally driving them around for training and matches. Although we would like more females taking up the game, "The Bush" has pointed out correctly that if females are engaged they will attend more matches, watch the games on TV and be willing to encourage their child to take up the game.
The Bush
Roar Guru
Consider this though, encouraging female participation is sport is another avenue to push the growth of the sport in the market place. Woman are not only more than 50% of the population of this country, they are also a key (for many companies the only market) market for sponsers - more girls playing cricket means more girls following cricket, means higher attendances and larger viewing audiences. The end result of this; more sponsers paying larger amounts of money. The only sport that girls consistently have even a passing interest in my social groups tends to be football - why? Because they frequently played it in school.
Lisa Sthalekar
Expert
Pedro, you are right there does need to be a market/audience to want to follow and support the women's game. So let me through you some numbers. * During the last World Cup would you be surprised that over 400K watched our final here in Austrlaia via Fox? * The first two matches that were broadcasted from the last World Cup captured 24 million viewers. I think these type of figures show that if the women's game is on TV people have an appetite for it!
Brett McKay
Expert
I completely agree Lisa, it was a landmark day for women's cricket in Australia, and indeed for women's sport in general. That our top female players are one step closer to being able to play cricket full time should be celebrated, and Cricket Australia certainly deserve great praise for taking these steps that they have..
Patrick
Guest
A pivotal day for women's sport in Australia and a great day for women's cricket. A long overdue recognition of the skill and dedication of these girls. I agree that the most important part of the announcement is the payment to state players. Well done CA and congratulations girls. Very well deserved.
Pedro
Guest
If Cricket Australia wishes to subsidise womens cricket that is their decision. It is arguable (as per the article) that this investment is worthwhile. More generally sport at the higher levels is simply another form of entertainment and the performer should be rewarded commesurate with the earnings of the sport. I would guess that womens cricket is a significant loss maker. The womens sport where the performers are well looked after (tennis and golf) attract huge media rights and sponsorship. If few people are not prepared to pay and watch a sport should there be a subsidy just so the players can play for another few years? Maybe as a counter you could argue the "role model encouraging young people to take up sport" as per John Coates a couple of years ago when he was seeking to further milk the public tit for Olympic funding. I thought this was rubbish at the time and still is. Finally with Lisa's retirement the Southern Stars are looking very white bread ( much like the mens team). I fear this will be a problem for cricket down the track. In terms of participation it is appealing to a smaller percentage of the population each year.
Matt F
Roar Guru
Great news. James Sutherland and CA have copped a fair bit of criticism over the past few years, often deservedly so, but this is one thing that they've definitely got right.
Red Kev
Guest
That is pretty awesome news for the Stars. I have to say although I am not 'shocked' at how low the money was, it is still an eye opener.
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
Hi Lisa, Being at the function on Tuesday, it was a thrill to see the legendary Belinds Clark, Margaret Jennings and you. Also it was a pleasure chatting with current players Ellyse Perry, Julie Hunter and Sarah Elliott. When the men's Australian Ashes squad was announced a few weeks John Inverarity was present. When the Australian women's Ashes squad was announced on Tuesday, the Governor General Quentin Bryce was there. Pleased that women are paid better now. Wish you were still playing, Lisa.