CA confident of deal despite ACA rejection

Cricket Australia is confident of striking a new pay deal with the nation's cricketers before the June 30 deadline, despite the players' union today officially rejecting the governing's body offer.

The Australian Cricketers Association today knocked back CA's proposal, labelling it "unfair" and saying the offer "disrespects the value of domestic cricketers".

In response, CA chief executive James Sutherland said the ACA had put forward information in the public domain that contained "many errors" and rejected "any suggestion that (CA) would hide money from the players."

"(The ACA) appear to have spent nearly six weeks talking with everyone but the organisation that can provide them with the right information, and with whom they need to conclude an agreement on behalf of their members," Sutherland said in a statement.

"They will find, when they sit down with us and understand the detail, that this really is a ground-breaking offer and a fair deal for all players.

"In particular, it offers higher guaranteed payments at a time of uncertainty, while continuing to provide a share of cricket’s financial surpluses to players at the pinnacle of the game.

"It also allows CA to address the disparity between pay for men and women and the urgent need to invest more in the grassroots of the game, particularly junior cricket. We make no apology for investing in priorities that will secure cricket’s sustainable future."

Sutherland added that some information put forward today by the ACA's experts was incorrect.

"I must make it clear that the analysis presented by the ACA today contains many errors,' Sutherland said. "We have offered to provide them with realistic financial scenarios, an opportunity they have not taken up.

"I also reject any suggestion that we would hide money from the players. They receive full audited accounts, and we have always been fair and honest with our players.”

The ACA's main sticking point of CA's proposal, which was tabled last month, was to do away with the fixed-revenue sharing model that has been used since 1997. CA has instead proposed a guaranteed total of player payments of $419 million over five years.

CA's offer included guaranteed pay increases for both male and female players. The average salaries of international and domestic female players would jump by 125 per cent under the deal, while the average annual salary for international men - including all domestic contracts, match payments and bonuses - would be expected to reach $1.45m by the conclusion of the deal in 2021.

Domestic male players would also have their annual income increased by nearly a fifth under the deal with an average wage of more than $200,000.

The ACA has proposed an updated fixed revenue model, which would give 22.5 per cent of the game's revenue to the players and another 22.5 per cent to grassroots cricket.

"CA's proposal denies female cricketers the opportunity to share in the games' revenue," the ACA said in a statement.

"(It) disrespects the value of domestic cricketers and the role they play in Australian cricket (and) creates inequity amongst the playing groups.

"It is unfair for CA to create a situation, via its offer, that some players playing in a domestic team enjoy revenue share and other do not."

The ACA added the players were willing to risk potentially earning less under the ACA's proposed revenue share model.

"Players are prepared to increase their exposure to revenue risk given their preparedness to share any underachievement of revenue forecasts as part of a revamped revenue share model,” the statement continued.

Sutherland said doing away with the revenue share model allowed CA to table an offer that "has gender equity at its heart" and would still see the senior men's players be "the best paid team sportsmen in the country".

"The reality is that international cricket generates the revenue, and this is shared with all levels of cricket," he said.

"As it stands, (the revenue share model) has achieved its purpose – to make Australia’s male cricketers among the best paid sportspeople in the country – but it needs to be adjusted, not least to ensure our women receive proper remuneration. Under our proposal, we can achieve this while still lifting payments for our male cricketers.

"One of the key elements of our offer is greater financial security for all players. We have deliberately lifted the amount for guaranteed payments.

"We have achieved an Australian sporting first, a pay structure that has gender equity at its heart.

"It will see our female cricketers, at both international and domestic levels, receive pay increases of more than 150% from July 1, and enable all of them to pursue a professional sporting career.

"At the same time, our international men will continue to be the best paid team sportsmen in the country, and our domestic male cricketers will also receive pay increases and remain very well paid, with an average wage of more than $200,000.”

And Sutherland remained optimistic that a deal will be struck before the current deal expires on June 30.

“We have eight weeks to conclude a deal,” he said. “We have always said that the two parties agree on more than they disagree.

“There has been an offer on the table for nearly six weeks, and once the players look at the detail we are confident they will agree that it is a fair deal for all and they can get on with playing the game.

"We want to resolve this for them, so they can look forward to a fantastic summer of cricket."