Netball: Grow the game to fix the pay says Netball New Zealand CEO

Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic wing defence Samanth Sinclair challenges for the ball in the 2017 ANZ Premiership. Photo / Stephen Parker.

Netball New Zealand chief executive Jennie Wyllie says growing the game is the only way to fix concerns over players' pay.

Speaking to Radio Sport, Wyllie said netballers' pay was commensurate to the All Blacks in terms of their respective earning potential, but the two worlds were "quite different" in terms of commercial reality.

"We need to keep pushing hard to develop our sport. It has come an incredibly long way in 10 years, but it still remains a semi-professional environment," Wyllie told Radio Sport.

"We need to keep working to grow that envelope."

While players who hold both Silver Ferns and ANZ Premiership contracts are able to survive on their earnings in the sport, for those emerging players it can be a juggling act between netball and work or studies.

However, Wyllie said Netball New Zealand were well aware of this and as part of the collective agreement with the players' association, no trainings were held between 9am and 5pm during the working week.

"Those mechanisms are things we have in place already to protect athletes, and we're continually in discussion with our players association which we're having input from the athletes around how do we make this better and iron out any bumps in the road."

With New Zealand now boasting its own premier netball competition in the ANZ Premiership, Wyllie said it was a massive achievement to have 47 televised games each year, and the sport needed to go forward from there – with an emphasis on developing the game at the grassroots level.

"That's the most important part that we need to keep thinking about – ensuring that we are growing the sport from the bottom up so we have that pool of athletes to choose from in the future.

"I think what it comes down to is looking at the product, investing in it – it is a great return in terms of an investment for a commercial partner – if you look at the number of pieces of tarseal around the country where netball is being played, it's incredibly visible so I think we all collectively play a part in ensuring the viability of sports like ours going forward."

Listen the full interview with Mark Watson on Radio Sport on Saturday afternoon.