Pay deal to boost women's basketball in Australia
Kalani Purcell of the Tall Ferns dribbles the ball with Tess Madgen of the Opals during the Oceania Championship for Women basketball match between New Zealand and Australia at the ASB Baypark Events Centre in Tauranga on Monday the 17th August 2015. Copyright Photo Marty Melville / www.photosport.nz
Photo:
Marty Melville
Women basketballers in Australia are set to see their minimum salary levels double over the next four years and gain base-level pay parity with men in the third year, in what the country's governing bodies called "an historic" deal.
A new collective bargaining agreement will lift the minimum salary for players in the Women's National Basketball League from A$23,000 ($24,600) to A$46,952 ($50,300) by the 2028-29 season, with the league's salary cap jumping by 8 percent every year.
"This agreement marks a historic milestone and is the biggest single leap forward in WNBL history," Jacob Holmes, chief executive of the Australian Basketball Players Association said in a statement.
"WNBL players are now going to be invested in at a level that truly reflects their talent and dedication," he said.
The 8 percent salary cap will mean a maximum salary of just over A$723,000 ($774,000) by the 2028-29 season.
The agreement, which is aimed at retaining talent in Australia long-term, also includes full contract protection insurance payments for injured players and higher investment in players' wellbeing.
- Reuters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Techday NZ
2 hours ago
- Techday NZ
Evergreen acquires REDD, celebrates $1 billion revenue milestone
Evergreen has reached its 100th managed IT services provider acquisition milestone with the addition of REDD, an Australia-based business, to its Lyra Technology Group portfolio. REDD, headquartered in Brisbane, will continue to operate independently as part of Lyra Technology Group, Evergreen's collection of managed IT services providers. The company was established in 2016 by Nigel Heyn, and under the leadership of Heyn and Chief Executive Officer Brad Ferris, REDD has grown through a focus on technical expertise and business management. Brad Ferris will remain CEO, and the business will retain its existing operations, following the model Evergreen applies in its portfolio which prioritises decentralisation. Global expansion Evergreen currently operates in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. The company is exploring expansion into Ireland as well as the Nordic and Benelux regions. Details of the acquisition were not disclosed by either party. Craig Fulton, M&A Advisor at Evergreen, commented: "Nigel and Brad's leadership and values align closely with Evergreen's long-term vision. In becoming part of the Evergreen network, REDD is positioning itself for continued success while contributing valuable insights to peers across the portfolio." Ferris provided his perspective on the development, saying, "REDD has always been built on a commitment to exceptional service, strong relationships, and a culture that puts people first. That doesn't change. What excites us about joining Evergreen and Lyra is the opportunity to stay true to who we are while being bolstered by a global network of like-minded businesses. This partnership enhances our ability to deliver for our clients, share best practices, and tap into a deep pool of expertise — all while preserving the team, culture, and values that make REDD unique." Financial milestone and recognition Evergreen has also been recognised as the first Pax8 partner to generate over $1 billion in IT services revenue. In addition, last month Evergreen Vice President Sydney Hockett was named to CRN's Women of the Channel list. The company recently hosted its first Evergreen Elevate event, designed as a free opportunity for managed service providers to obtain strategic insights relating to exit strategies. Ramsey Sahyoun, Co-Founder and M&A Partner at Evergreen, said, "When we started this company seven years ago, we hoped to replicate the Berkshire Hathaway model and build the best home for MSPs. I'm proud that we've stayed committed to that vision, to our decentralized operating model, and to our permanent hold strategy. It's been a rewarding journey, and we are grateful for the MSP business owners that have trusted us with their companies." Stakeholder and partner perspectives Lloyd Wolf, Founder and former CEO of Wolf Consulting, which was the first managed IT services provider acquired by Evergreen in December 2017, commented on his experience: "Selling the ownership of my business was one of the biggest decisions of my life. I first met Jeff Totten, CEO of Evergreen, in the fall of 2017. He shared with me his vision of building the best home for businesses and their leaders, retaining our employees and taking care of them, and investing in continued future growth – all while operating in a decentralized model that would allow the business to maintain its culture and independence. This approach and model were very different from any other buyer I had met. I was excited that I had found the permanent home for my business and employees. Since then, Evergreen and Lyra Technology Group have truly executed the vision Jeff originally shared with me. From Wolf Consulting to REDD, I couldn't be more proud of Evergreen's and Lyra's growth and success." Lane Brannan, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Americas, at Pax8, also congratulated the business: "It's been impressive to witness the growth and revenue milestones Evergreen and Lyra have achieved over the last few years. While obtaining a billion dollars of revenue is an impressive achievement alone, it also signals the critical role and impact MSPs have in driving technology adoption within the SMB market. We look forward to fueling our strong partnership with Lyra and congratulate them on this significant milestone." Evergreen continues to emphasise its practice of a permanent hold strategy and a decentralised operating model in the managed IT services sector, as it further expands its international presence and portfolio. Follow us on: Share on:
1News
3 hours ago
- 1News
Run It Championship final moved from Auckland to Dubai
The organisers of the controversial Run It competition have announced its final will be moved from Auckland to Dubai, offering a prize of $200,000 to the winner. It comes amid calls for the activity to be banned. Brain health experts have been highly critical of the events, and criticisms of it have grown following the death of a 19-year-old, who was killed while playing an impromptu version of the game, which had been popularised on social media. In a post to Instagram, the Australia-based Runit Championship League, which organised two events in Auckland, revealed its final would be held in Dubai instead of Auckland later this month. George Burgess, a former NRL star and England international who had been working with the organisation, told NZ Herald the organisation would pay for the finalists' flights to the Middle East. ADVERTISEMENT A man takes a tackle while participating in an Auckland RUNIT event. (Source: Photosport) Run It held two trial events at Trusts Arena last month, where the winners took home $20,000. The venue pulled out of hosting the final, citing safety concerns. Run It advertised itself as the world's "fiercest, new collision sport". Participants compete in full-contact collisions without protective gear, running at each other and attempting to "dominate the collision". The game came under increased scrutiny following the death of 19-year-old Ryan Satterthwaite, who died in hospital after suffering a serious head injury playing an impromptu version of it. Its arrival on New Zealand shores led to worries about brain injuries. ADVERTISEMENT Stacey Mowbray, chief executive of brain injury support group Headway, called the activity "dangerous by design", describing it on Breakfast as 'glamorised, glorified, intentional violence'. Stacey Mowbray of Headway said Ryan Satterthwaite's death was an 'absolute tragedy' but wasn't surprised it happened. (Source: 1News) 'There is no way to do this safely." She said the activity carried a risk of 'immediate brain injury' or death for the participants Following Satterthwaite's death, RUNIT said its events followed established protocols, which included the screening of participants for suitability, strict guidelines around where and how to tackle (between the shoulders and hips only), as well as having medical support and assessments both during and after competition. "Any contact sport like boxing, martial arts or combat-style activities should only be held in highly controlled environments, which include professional medical supervision and support. "We do not encourage any copying of the sport as it should only be done under the strict conditions outlined above in sanctioned RUNIT events."
RNZ News
4 hours ago
- RNZ News
Super Rugby Pacific: Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham predicts physical battle with Chiefs
Chiefs v Brumbies Kick-off: 7:05pm Saturday 14 June FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton Live blog updates on RNZ Not many people are giving the Brumbies a shot at tipping up the Chiefs on Saturday night, but then again, not many tipped the Blues last weekend either. Coach Stephen Larkham, who won two Super Rugby titles with the side in the early 2000s, was confident that perennially strong Australian side was ready to potentially pull off an upset in their do or die semifinal. "It's a big challenge going down there, obviously. We've played some big games in that stadium and the results haven't gone our way," said Larkham at the team's Auckland training base of Dilworth College, before reflecting on what was learned from the Blues' intense 20-19 victory last Saturday night. "The physical battle was there from both teams. (The Blues were) very dominant with their forwards, very heavy at the breakdown and I thought that worked pretty well. I mean, the biggest thing we take out of it is that we need to be physical this weekend. Then obviously there's things that we've been working on, throughout the season over the last couple of weeks and games, that we think have been going pretty well." One of those will be the ability to control territory, something the Brumbies excelled at in their win over the Blues at Eden Park back in round four. Larkham highlighted the kick strategy as a key one for his side in a game that may well follow the low-scoring template set in the Chiefs' last home game. Damian McKenzie is tackled by Brumbies Declan Meredith. Photo: Brett Phibbs / "We've got the conditions today, where the ground is a little bit muddy, and ball was very slippery in the rain. We're sort of expecting the same on the weekend…we've been working on our kick strategy for the whole year. It doesn't really change with the wet, we like to have variation. We like to have balance with our kicking game…that's really determined by where we are on the field." Larkham has named an unchanged match day squad from his side that beat the Hurricanes in their play-off on Saturday night. The inside back pairing of Ryan Lonergan and Noah Lolesio will be in charge of implementing the kicking plan, but the Brumbies do possess some serious firepower in the back in Tom Wright, Len Ikitau and Corey Toole. However, Larkham stressed that they all need to be given good ball in order to do anything, something the Brumbies have been very good at this season. "Our ability to hold the ball through ten phases and score tries is the best in the competition, and that comes from all the breakdown work. So we spent a lot of time on that this year and we certainly know that's going to be important this weekend," he said. "If you sort of look at just about every game in Super Rugby this year, it's gone down to the wire. Even when you've got first place playing last, it's come down to the wire as well. So we've spoken about that, that when you get into the finals, every team is fairly evenly matched, and it will come down to those little moments."
