Australian netball nice Liz Ellis has voiced her disappointment that gamers had been pressured to attend a ceremony for the award named in her honour.
Key factors:
- Liz Ellis says Netball Australia has handled Diamonds gamers with “callous disregard”
- Ellis was extremely vital of NA threatening authorized motion to power gamers to attend an awards ceremony
- Ellis questioned if NA was “able to offering the management the game so desperately wants”
Within the midst of a prolonged pay dispute, Netball Australia (NA) threatened Diamonds gamers with authorized motion if they didn’t attend Saturday night time’s occasion.
A number of gamers had deliberate to not attend in protest.
Ellis was not in attendance on the occasion because of a scheduling battle — one thing she says solely occurred as NA didn’t give her correct discover of the date of the ceremony — however on Monday launched an announcement expressing her anger on the state of affairs.
“My disappointment and embarrassment at not with the ability to attend became anger once I was made conscious that present Diamonds gamers and their advisers had been threatened with attainable authorized motion if they didn’t attend the dinner,” Ellis stated.
“As a former Diamonds captain, I can’t imagine that the governing physique of the game I really like would deal with its Diamonds athletes, who’re good position fashions and ambassadors for netball, with such callous disregard.”
Ellis was clear in her help for the gamers, who stay locked in a stand-off with administration concerning the subsequent collective bargaining settlement.
“These are girls who haven’t been paid in eight weeks. Who’re preventing for honest pay and situations not just for themselves however for the gamers who come after them.
“Who think about themselves custodians of the sport. And who I think would love nothing greater than to attend an occasion the place their world-beating heroics of the previous 12 months had been to be celebrated.
“But who felt so strongly about what they had been preventing for, that they had been ready to forego celebrations.”
Ellis additionally referred to as out the management at NA, questioning in the event that they might be entrusted with navigating the present state of affairs.
“So, but once more, netball finds itself within the headlines for the flawed causes — one other disaster fully of the game’s personal making,” Ellis stated.
“This has occurred so typically in latest instances the query have to be requested whether or not Netball Australia is able to offering the management the game so desperately wants.
“This query have to be requested not simply by gamers, or ex-players like me, however by the entire system. And it’s a query that wants an instantaneous reply.”
Courtney Bruce took out the highest award on Saturday night time, and Ellis stated she was “thrilled” to see a fellow goalkeeper take out the honour.
It’s not recognized if Bruce had supposed to attend the ceremony, however an announcement from the gamers affiliation on the night time made their collective stance clear.
“The Diamonds are attending the Netball Australia Awards tonight as a result of we’re legally obligated to be current,” a gamers affiliation assertion learn.
“With no settlement on our Collective Participant Settlement, (Tremendous Netball) gamers have been unpaid for almost eight weeks.
“What now we have requested is inexpensive and sustainable to the sport and promotes a real partnership to develop the sport.”
