Netball: Magic CEO calls for increase to salary cap

Maria Tutaia left the Magic for the Mystics. Photo / Martin Sykes

Multi-year contracts and an increase in the salary cap could alleviate end-of-season pressures on transtasman netball league franchises, says Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic chief executive Martin Ellis.

Although he acknowledged the ANZ Championship was just two years old and still evolving, Ellis said some important adjustments could ease the chaotic time at the end of the 17-week league in late July. That is when players' contracts are negotiated before the international season begins.

The Magic, with seven Silver Ferns on their roster this year, have already lost two. Goal attack Maria Tutaia and defender Joline Henry have both signed with the Northern Mystics.

Ellis said because of a lack of upper-level players, and because the window for contract negotiations was relatively small - around three weeks this year - the heat was on franchises and players.

"Everyone feels pressured, there's speculation and I don't think anyone particularly enjoys this time of year," Ellis said.

Most players are on one-year contracts, and Ellis said one option to introduce more certainty would be to have two- or three-year contracts for some players.

"There's nothing that specifies you can't have multi-year contracts, it's just not the norm at this stage. It would be something we'd look at on a case-by-case basis with the player and their agent. It would make it so that everyone would have a little more certainty, not just the franchises, but the players and the sponsors as well."

A cost of living adjustment to the ANZ Championship's salary cap would also help ease pressures on franchises, he said.

The initial transtasman league participation agreement ends in 2010.

Currently there is a $300,000 salary cap for each franchise, which is spread over the 12 contracted players. There is a minimum of $12,000 per player, but no maximum.

"If you're an employee in a normal job, there's the expectation that you do get a natural cost of living increase. But we've got to work within a salary cap that won't change for three years.

"A standard cost of living increase in the cap would mean we could say to players, 'We understand your costs have gone up and therefore this is a reflection of that'."

There was no ideal solution, Ellis said, because of the difficulty in pleasing all parties involved - players and agents, franchises and their shareholders, sponsors and broadcasters.

"There's never going to be a perfect answer because of the number of parties you're trying to satisfy," he said.

"It's about getting a balance and it's about learning year by year.

"But I think certain things can change that will make it a little bit easier and a bit less stressful for everyone involved."

- NZPA