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West Coast Fever chief executive Simone Hansen is concerned the fallout from Gina Rinehart's decision to withdraw funding from Australian netball may dissuade future sponsors from investing in the sport.
Key points:
- Ms Hansen says the fallout will create an even more challenging landscape for netball
- She says West Coast Fever were in support of the sponsorship deal
- The WA Premier has called on Hancock Prospecting to reconsider
Ms Hansen told ABC Radio Perth she was worried about the media attention and public discussion that followed Hancock Prospecting's announcement on Saturday it was withdrawing from its $15 million partnership with Netball Australia.
In a further blow to netball in Western Australia, Ms Rinehart announced Roy Hill would also be pulling out of a $2 million deal with Netball WA and 2022 Super Netball premiers West Coast Fever.
As part of the partnership, the Fever were set to receive $500,000 a year for four years, which was going to be spent on high-performance systems and the players.
"I do think it's going to be a more challenging landscape for sport," Ms Hansen told WA Mornings presenter Nadia Mitsopoulos.
"I think it's going to be an even more challenging landscape for netball, especially in the short term, as we work through this."
Fever 'worked hard' with Roy Hill
Ms Hansen said Fever were in support of the sponsorship deal with Hancock Prospecting.
"I certainly do feel like we were collateral damage," she said.
"We worked hard with Roy Hill to develop this partnership. But there were things happening outside of our control."
Ms Rinehart withdrew the sponsorship deal after Diamonds players chose not to wear the company's logo in support of Indigenous player Donnell Wallam.
Wallam felt uncomfortable having the Hancock name on her dress due in part due to comments made by the company's founder, Lang Hancock, in the 1980s.
Huge blow for women's sport
Echoing the words of Netball Australia boss Kelly Ryan, Ms Hansen said there will have to be a collaborative conversation between players, administrators and organisations going forward.
"Bringing money into sports isn't easy. Bringing sponsorship money into female sports is even harder," Ms Hansen said.
"We don't have the same viewership; we don't have the same broadcast money coming into netball as some of the traditional male sports do."
The deal appeared to be a lifeline after Netball Australia suffered losses of more than $7 million in two COVID-impacted years.
Unlike Fever players, national players said they were largely kept in the dark when it came to sponsorship deals, prompting a broader conversation about the ethics and morality of where sports teams get their funding from.
Last week a group of high-profile Fremantle Dockers members called on the club to end its lucrative sponsorship deal with Woodside.
Ms Hansen said West Australian players were aware Netball WA were in talks with mining companies to fill a sponsorship gap.
She said across the board, all sports look to the lucrative resources industry for funding.
"We want to be able to provide all the community network participants with, you know, up to date facilities and the right programs and opportunities for them," she said.
"And we also want to be able to provide our player's reasonable pay.
"But that all costs money."
Premier calls on Hancock Prospecting to reconsider
WA Premier Mark McGowan said it was a sad time for netballers across the country.
"Virtually every girl plays netball at one point in time or another," he said.
"It's just a wonderful international sport."
The Premier said he understood Hancock Prospecting and their affiliate companies' point of view, but urged them to reconsider the move.
"I just urge reconsideration of that in the cold hard light of day and it would be great if there could be a reconciliation and sponsorship could continue," he said.
"[The weekend] would have been traumatic for everyone in netball."
In a statement on Saturday, Hancock Prospecting said it has never insisted the company's name needed to be worn by the Australian Diamonds.
"Hancock and Roy Hill do not wish to add to Netball's disunity problems," the statement said.
Hancock Prospecting will provide financial support to Netball Australia for four months while it searches for new sponsorship and funding.