ANZ Premiership players Amelia Walmsley of the Central Pulse and Jane Watson of the Tactix. Photo: © Photosport Ltd 2025 www.photosport.nz
Pay cuts could be coming for New Zealand's top netball players in 2026 as the broadcast deal for the domestic competition drags on.
ANZ Premiership players may need a secondary income next season "to make ends meet", according to New Zealand Netball Players Association executive manager Steph Bond.
This year's ANZ Premiership concluded on Sunday, but Netball New Zealand is yet to lock in a television deal for next year.
The broadcast deal will impact how much players are paid.
"The sad part that could end up next year is that actually players will have to look outside of netball to supplement what they are earning to make ends meet," Bond told Midday Report.
"In some cases that's a good thing in terms of actually having something off the court, but it's definitely not pushing the sport forward in terms of the progress other sports are making."
Bond said players had felt "unsettled" while the negotiations continued.
"It's creating challenges for those individuals, which is understandable when you're not sure where your short-term future is heading.
"We would normally be in the contracting stage right now in terms of the ANZ Premiership for next year, so we're currently in bargaining with Netball New Zealand to try and see what that landscape will look like next year."
The players avoided wide-spread pay cuts this year when a collective employment agreement was negotiated last year for 2025, Bond said to be back facing the potential of pay cuts again was "disappointing".
"The community game is still growing despite other, I guess, competing sports in that market and so there is definitely the fans and the people that are supporting the game just at this point in time we don't seem to be able to be getting that turned into dollars and making that a difference at that level."
The Netball Players Association supported players looking to Australia to further their career with the "uncertainty" around the future of the New Zealand competition.
"I think like anyone, if you look across the ditch, you can see a job over there that potentially is paid better and has different challenges then people will be looking at that and having a look and seeing if that's actually a better option for them."
Netball New Zealand updated its Silver Ferns eligibility criteria this month, paving the way for greater flexibility for athletes who wish to play overseas.
