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The Vixens are scared, at least they should be. Collingwood football club president Eddie McGuire, holder of one of the new Netball Australia licences, has reportedly quipped to the members of the Australian Netball League team the Victorian Fury “Girls, you will be playing for us next year and we play more than the other mob.”
They have had their support from the VIS pulled including access to their high performance training facility after this season, leaving them with a $250,000 bill to build their own. They also face the prospect of a loss in the number of their fan base.
Having in the past enjoyed a monopoly on the netballing fans in melbourne with almost all choosing to support the Vixens, fans have now been given a choice of two teams and there’s no guarantee that the fans will remain loyal to the team they have supported over the nine seasons of the Trans-Tasman Netball League.
Netball Australia hold most of the cards in this prickly situation. A strict enforcement of the salary cap will help the Vixens hold on to most of their stars and fringe players, however it’s inevitable that some will leave from all teams, not just the Vixens. Netball Australia can also impose conditions on the new teams’ recruitment of contracted players.
The Vixens also have the advantage of being able to negotiate with their currently contracted players. The new teams have to abide by the current rules which states that rival teams must wait until 24 hours after the July 30 grand final before opening up talks with players still under contract. Using this rule, the Vixens can kill off any approach from rival teams before they happen.
The $250,000 build cost of a new training facility can be offset if the Vixens negotiate the use of an existing facility, possibly with a different sporting team. While this wouldn’t be free it would offset the large upfront cost of building their own facilities.
So while it’s not all doom and gloom at the Vixens, the Swifts and Firebirds should be paying attention to the events unfolding in Melbourne, as they could also soon find themselves in a similar situation.