Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg has admitted that the contracting embargo for the Big Bash League and Women’s Big Bash League should have been resolved by now. Negotiations over the competitions’ privatization are continuing alongside talks with the Australian Cricketers’ Association.
With just over two months remaining before the WBBL season begins, teams and players remain uncertain about their contracts. CA and the ACA are working to update the Memorandum of Understanding covering players’ pay before CA moves ahead with plans to bring private investment into the Big Bash.
We've got to get moving - CA Admits BBL Contracting Delay
Australian male players have also expressed frustration over earning less than overseas recruits. The proposed changes could scrap the overseas draft and direct more of the salary cap towards local players.
However, this could also push up short-term salaries for high-profile overseas players such as Ben Stokes and Finn Allen, while several Australian players remain tied to existing contracts.
CA chief executive Todd Greenberg addressed the issue while attending Australia's first Test against Bangladesh in Darwin. He admitted that the contracting system should have been unlocked earlier and called for a quick resolution.
"We've got to unlock the contracting system pretty quickly. I think there's some final conversations going on at the moment, but yeah, we should have resolved it by now, so we've got to get moving. We've got a big season to run. We want to be as successful as we can."
CA and ACA Remain Divided Over Revenue Share
The longer-term MoU negotiations have also created another roadblock. The current agreement runs until 2028, but the ACA wants a larger share of cricket's revenue than its existing 27.5% allocation. CA, however, does not support increasing that percentage.
Todd Greenberg said that he spoke with ACA chief executive Paul Marsh on Wednesday, but the two sides remain apart on the issue. He added that CA still supports the revenue-sharing model but rejected the ACA's latest proposal.
"We're just at a fundamental difference at the moment. Australian cricket are strong believers and supporters of the revenue share model. I think it's been great for cricket. It's great for the players.
"What we're not supportive of is increasing the amount of percentage [share] that is. And so the ACA have put forward a proposal which increases it, and we've rejected that one. So we've got to find a way to get an outcome that's palatable for the ACA and palatable for us."
Todd Greenberg Confident of September Decision on BBL Privatization
Despite the delays, Todd Greenberg remains confident that CA can make progress on the BBL privatization plans. CA's board received an update on the proposal on Wednesday, with New South Wales and Queensland still holding concerns about the proposed future funding models.
Greenberg and CA chair Mike Baird will travel to Sydney and Brisbane to meet representatives from both state associations. They want to address their concerns in person before CA's board makes a final decision in September.
"I'm feeling both comfortable and positive. Yesterday was an important moment for the board to get the latest update. I would suggest that by early to mid-September we will effectively make a final determination on the project.
"Mike and I have got sessions with the boards of both New South Wales Cricket and Queensland Cricket in the next few weeks, and we want to have those conversations and we want to have them in person before we go back to the board in September to make a final call."
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