- aAustralia Cricketers’ Association (ACA) is pleased to donate $200,000
- Pat Cummins thought it was a ‘good opportunity’ to help Australian netballers
- Netball Australia had its $15 million sponsorship cut last October
- Indigenous star Donnell Wallam would not wear a sponsor jersey
- Points out racist comments made in 1985 by Gina Reinhart’s father
In Cricket Australia’s latest wake, captain Pat Cummins has explained why the Australia Cricketers’ Association (ACA) has chosen to donate $200,000 to the Aussie Diamonds netball team.
The ‘fight fund’ comes as the Australian Netball Players’ Association (ANPA) and Netball Australia are embroiled in an ongoing pay dispute.
This week, ACA CEO Todd Greenberg confirmed the association will donate the six-figure sum as netballers push for a revenue-sharing model.
ACA’s gesture comes six years after its own bitter pay dispute with Cricket Australia.
Cummins revealed that enduring that challenging experience played a role in supporting the netball players.
In Cricket Australia’s latest wake-up call, captain Pat Cummins has explained why the Australia Cricketers’ Association (ACA) has chosen to donate $200,000 to the Aussie Diamonds netball team
Cummins told reporters it was a “good opportunity to be able to help the Diamonds players financially.”
‘Obviously the netball players are in a tough situation at the moment and we were in a similar situation six or seven years ago… and we got some support that really helped the players and that was from a few external individuals, he said ahead of Australia’s ODI World Cup match against Pakistan.
“They asked for a helping hand, the ACA stepped up and said, ‘Yes, we’ll set up a little fund to help you and hopefully get you through the next few months.
‘The players’ associations work very closely together, so we thought it would be a great opportunity to help.’
While Cummins and his teammates are in India, the Diamonds are playing New Zealand in the Constellation Cup.
The Silver Ferns claimed a 56-53 victory against Australia on Thursday, keeping the series alive heading into Monday’s fourth and final match.
After the defeat, Diamonds captain Liz Watson described ACA’s support as ‘special’ Broad sports world.
“It is of course very cool and very special to know that we receive that support,” she told reporters.
Netball Australia saw a $15 million sponsorship deal with mining billionaire Gina Rinehart terminated in October last year after Indigenous star Donnell Wallam asked to be exempt from wearing the team jersey on racial grounds
“We have really great deputies who take care of things like that.
“(But) to know that we also have the broader support (of the ACA) was really great.”
Netball Australia saw a $15 million sponsorship deal with mining billionaire Gina Rinehart terminated in October last year after native star Donnell Wallam asked to be exempt from wearing the team jersey if it bore the Hancock Prospecting logo.
Wallam made this request because Rinehart’s late father Lang Hancock made very racist comments about First Nations people in a 1985 TV interview.
“I would drug the water so they were sterile and would reproduce themselves in the future,” Hancock said at the time.
Wallam’s teammates rallied around her, eventually leading to Rinehart sensationally pulling the plug on her company’s huge sponsorship deal with the sport’s governing body, effective immediately.