New Zealand Cricket announces equal pay for men and women

New Zealand has become the first nation to announce equal pay for male and female players in cricket.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) signed a five-year deal with the players’ association, to ensure that women at domestic and international level will receive the same match fees as men across all formats and competitions.

“This is the most important agreement in our sport, as it binds NZC, the major associations, and our players at the hip, and sets the foundation to fund, grow and develop cricket,” said NZC Chief Executive David White.

“It’s been a collaborative yet very robust negotiation. Importantly, it represents a significant step forward as we continue to grow our investment in women’s cricket.”

The agreement, which will start on August 1, will provide equality in a range of other areas, including accommodation, travel and training environment.

Expanding opportunities within cricket

The equal pay agreement will provide female players with the support needed to train and play full-time. International players can now earn US$163,246, up from US$83,432, and domestic players can earn a maximum of US$19,146, up from US$3,423.

“It’s great for the international and domestic women players to be recognised in the same agreement, alongside the men,” said White Ferns captain Sophie Devine. “It’s a massive step forward and will be a huge drawcard for young women and girls.”

The new agreement will also increase the number of women’s domestic contracts from 54 to 72.

“We pride ourselves over recent years on really leading the charge about driving equality in cricket and particularly investing in the growth of cricket as a sport for women and girls," CA chief executive Nick Hockley said last year.

"But there's still a gap, there's still a really big gap, as compared to their male counterparts.

"And we want to keep striving to make it a really attractive and credible full-time professional career for our up-and-coming female cricketers.”