According to Cricket Australia (CA), elite Australian women cricketers could make more than A$1 million ($666,600) a year with pay raises from a new contract and money made from the Women’s Premier League of India and The Hundred in England.
A player with a top-tier contract who also competes in the Women’s Big Bash League will now be eligible to earn A$800,000 per year under the terms of the five-year agreement, which includes a headline funding rise of 66% for the women’s game.
Nick Hockley, the CEO of Cricket Australia, stated in a news release, “This agreement signals another big step forward in the rise of women’s cricket, and I am particularly thrilled.”
For elite female athletes, cricket today unquestionably provides the best financial potential of any team sport.
The Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) and CA agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding that also increased the minimum and average CA contracts for women by 25%.
While players are on parental leave, the contracts and retainers will be guaranteed, and additional payments will be made to assist make up for lost match costs.
For the men, the number of central contracts has increased from up to 20 to up to 24 every year to take into account the number of players required for international matches across the three formats.
Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL) acknowledged the proliferation of lucrative Twenty20 tournaments around the world and increased the payment pool from A$2m to A$3m.
“We have recognised the need to ensure that the BBL remains highly competitive in a changing global cricket landscape and we’re confident this agreement will help maintain its place at the heart of the Australian summer,” Hockley added.
