- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Billionaire Gina Rinehart’s mining company Hancock Prospecting has “regrettably” pulled the plug on its controversial sponsorship of Netball Australia in the latest twist to the ongoing saga.
Hancock had agreed to a $15 million sponsorship deal over four years with netball’s cash-strapped governing body but the deal had caused ructions within the Diamonds.
The Hancock company logo was expected to feature on their uniforms through the Constellation Cup series against New Zealand.
But after opposition from Indigenous player Donnell Wallam, who was supported by her teammates, it only featured on a press conference background banner in Melbourne.
Hancock and Roy Hill released a statement on Saturday confirming they were pulling out of the deal, saying they “were not made aware prior to the proposed partnerships of the complexity of existing issues between Netball Australia and the Players Association”.
“This includes the Players Association’s endeavours to gain a very substantial increase in wages during a time the sport is reeling financially, and unable to provide such an increase,” the statement read.
“Hancock, and similarly Roy Hill, embarked on these proposed partnerships in good faith and on the basis of representations and its resulting understanding that Netball Australia and the sport’s key stakeholder groups including the Australian Diamonds, were united in their support of one of West Australia’s pre-eminent mining companies becoming their principal sponsor.”
Roy Hill will also discontinue its planned sponsorship agreement with Netball WA as the principal partner of the West Coast Fever.
Gina Rinehart (Photo: Steve Christo) (Photo by Steve Christo/Corbis via Getty Images)
Hancock Prospecting said sponsorship in sports was needed.
“Sport is at its best when it is focused on good and fair competition, with dedicated athletes striving for excellence to achieve their sporting dreams and to represent our country at their very best,” a second statement read.
“There are more targeted and genuine ways to progress social or political causes without virtue signalling or for self-publicity. For example, the meaningful engagement with local Indigenous communities undertaken by Hancock’s Roy Hill Community Foundation in West Australia to support their actual needs.
“The reality is that sponsorship is integral to sports organisations – for full-time professionals right through to young children at the grassroots level – who rely on corporations investing the funds that enable all sports to not only survive, but thrive.
“Sadly recent media does not help encourage sporting sponsorships.
“What can be lacking is a sufficient connection between sponsorship funds and the athletes themselves, with money unnecessarily wasted on administration and related costs.
“As is evidence by the other successful sporting partnerships undertaken by Hancock, including the Australian Olympic Committee, Volleyball Australia, Artistic Swimming Australia, Rowing Australia and elite swimmers at both the national and state level, there is overwhelming support for Hancock’s athlete focused funding, enabling training to be prioritised and performances to be enhanced on the global stage – as was proven through the record breaking efforts at the recent Olympic and Commonwealth Games.”
The companies said they had offered Netball Australia and Netball WA a short-term sponsorship to fund athletes while they looked for new partners.
“(Hancock) will instead provide a four-month sponsorship should they and their players wish to accept it, to continue funding athletes and to help netball as it arranges alternative funding and sponsorships.”
Netball Australia has suffered losses of more than $7 million in two COVID-impacted years, and only two months ago turned down a $6.5 million bailout due to not wanting to privatise the game.
© AAP