CRICKET AFFIRMS REVENUE SHARE MODEL FOR MEN AND WOMEN

12-month MOU features more games scheduled for female domestic players who continue to be the highest paid in Australian sport

The Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) has agreed to the terms on a 2022-23 MoU with Cricket Australia. The one-year agreement follows a request from Cricket Australia last year so as to focused on delivering a summer of cricket in a COVID-impacted season.

Revenue Share Model endorsed

Significantly, the deal maintains the Partnership and Revenue Share Model which has been in place for more than 20 years. Under the agreement, players share in 27.5 per cent of Australian Cricket Revenue (ACR) plus a 2.5 per cent Performance Pool.

“What became clear as we worked through the negotiations was that the benefits to the game of this partnership model were clearly recognised,” said ACA CEO Todd Greenberg.

“It has served Australian cricket well in responding to the impacts of COVID, where player payments and benefits self-adjusted as the games’ revenues fluctuated, avoiding the challenging re-negotiations faced by other sports,” he said.

Despite the challenges of COVID, Cricket Australia’s revenues remained significantly above forecast for the current MOU period (2017-2022). According to Greenberg, this was largely due to the players’ above-and-beyond commitment to the partnership to allow content to be delivered.

Increased opportunities for female players

One significant change the ACA has achieved is an increase in playing opportunities for domestic female cricketers.

The ACA has secured four extra WNCL games, taking the competition to a full home and away fixture of twelve games, on top of fourteen WBBL games. This means:

• there are additional WNCL match payments totalling nearly $7,000; and
• the average salary for female domestic Players who play both formats is now $86k (exclusive of superannuation, prizemoney, ACRA and a share of the Adjustment Ledger).

“This increase has been a long-held objective of the ACA as it is crucial to continuing to lead Australian sport on gender equity,” said Greenberg.

“Pleasingly, within this 2022-23 agreement we have also lifted the existing cap on women’s Test Matches to align with the male cap. This will allow the ACA to continue to push for more long-form cricket for our female cricketers at both a domestic and international level.”

COVID contribution

In recognition of the of the partnership, the Players have agreed that an allocation of $2million to Cricket Australia to assist in managing the ongoing impacts of COVID. This is in addition to a grant of $2million to Cricket Australia during the last two years as a contribution towards additional player benefits provided by the governing body to players during COVID.

“At a time when all sports continue to negotiate the challenges of the impacts of COVID, the partnership model has delivered a great result for Australian cricket and the players,” said Greenberg.

“That the Revenue Share Model has been endorsed as the best model for cricket sets us up well to begin negotiating a new longer-term MoU, one that will continue to build on what we have achieved in the agreement for 2022-23.”

Features of the 2022-23 MOU between the ACA and Cricket Australia

• One MOU for all male and female Players.
• Players continue to receive 27.5 per cent of forecast ACR with a Performance Pool of 2.5 per cent.
• Players continue to receive 27.5 per cent of above forecast revenue into an Adjustment Ledger.
• Players’ retainers and match payments protected and increased by 1 per cent across all playing groups.
• Increase of WNCL matches from eight to 12, providing up to $7,000 in additional match fees. This sees domestic female players’ remuneration continue to lead the way in Australian sport.
• The Players’ Grassroots Cricket Fund will continue to support grassroots cricket with unspent amount of approximately $11 million carried into the next MOU period.
• $3 million grant to the ACA from the Grassroots Cricket Fund to continue funding of the ACA’s Premier Cricket Program and Masters Tours.
• Additional funding from the players for a Player Development Manager (PDM) for Australian Teams and to ensure gender equitable rates of pay between male and female State PDMs.