Cricket Australia (CA) announced on Monday that top Australian women cricketers could earn more than A$1 million ($666,600) per year under a new five-year pay deal. This includes the potential to earn additional income from participating in India’s Women’s Premier League and England’s The Hundred. The new agreement provides a 66% increase in funding for women, with a top-tier contracted player who also plays in the Women’s Big Bash League now able to earn A$800,000 annually.
The Memorandum of Understanding, agreed between CA and the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA), also includes a 25% increase in the minimum and average contracts for women. Players on parental leave will receive guaranteed contracts and retainers, along with additional payments to make up for lost match fees. The deal also provides an increase in the number of central contracts for men, from up to 20 to up to 24 per year, to accommodate the number of players required for international matches across all three formats.
Acknowledging the lucrative nature of T20 tournaments, CA has increased the payment pool for the Big Bash League (BBL) from A$2m to A$3m. CA CEO Nick Hockley praised the “constructive spirit of partnership” under which the negotiations were conducted with the ACA, which is a stark contrast to the acrimonious negotiations that led to the previous pay deal in 2017.
The revenue-sharing model, which had been in place for the last two decades, has been retained for the next five years, with players set to share a total of A$634m over the period of the deal. Additionally, a pool of A$57 million has been allocated to fund performance-related pay. Hockley stated that the agreement was another significant step forward for women’s cricket, and that cricket now offers the best earning opportunities for elite female sportspeople across all team sports.
The new pay deal is set to provide top-tier Australian women cricketers with significant earning potential, and is a significant milestone in the rise of women’s cricket in Australia. The deal also highlights the increasing importance of T20 tournaments in global cricket, with the Big Bash League remaining a crucial part of the Australian summer.
