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Cricket will still have to share superstar Ellyse Perry, but stands a much greater chance of keeping her. Veteran Alex Blackwell will put off retirement and think about buying a house. And female state players will no longer pay to play.
Under a dramatic improvement in the pay scheme for Australia's women cricketers, Cricket Australia said the Southern Stars would be the highest-paid female sporting team in the nation.
Perry, as the star of multiple World Cups and one of the most marketable female athletes in the land, stands to earn at least $80,000 from cricket next year, before personal endorsements, with Cricket Australia set to top up her playing contract and tour payments with fees for extra promotional work from a separate marketing pool.
Marg Jennings, who captained Australia in the 1970s, said the deal was cause for celebration, and a dramatic contrast with the financial costs imposed in her era.
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Jennings paid $300 for uniforms for the 1973 tour of England, taking unpaid leave from her job as a primary teacher. Jennings' local club held raffles to raise funds for airfares.
Perry said she wants to continue playing both cricket and soccer, while studying part-time for a degree in economics and social science, but believes the ability to make a proper living from cricket will make the summer game more appealing to young women in her position.
''Looking at women's sport as a viable career option it's a really positive step forward,'' said Perry, who is on track to spearhead the Stars' Ashes campaign after ankle surgery.
''For young girls, cricket probably becomes more of an attractive option for a lot of them than it might have otherwise been.
''As it stands at the moment, I'm really enjoying what I'm doing, and that's being involved in both sports. For as long as that's possible I'd love to do that, and I suppose make the most of it, too.''
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said even those awarded the maximum $52,000 playing contract (previously $15,000) would be encouraged to work or study, and that pool of money for extra marketing appearances could be used to keep Perry in the game.
''Under the contracts girls will have a certain number of appearances that they need to do with certain sponsors and partners and other things in the community,'' he said. ''We can then ask them to do more and they can access that pool, so there is opportunities for women to earn more beyond just their playing appearances and contractual obligations.''
Blackwell said the new contract system would prolong her career, and allow her to work three days a week in her profession as a genetic counsellor, rather than three-to-five days depending on the season.
''We do take a lot of leave without pay so that is definitely going to be a benefit,'' she said. ''It would be nice to able to aspire to owning your own home.''
In domestic cricket, modest contracts and match fees will be mandatory. State players previously spent, on average, $3000 a year to play, and were leaving the game early for financial reasons.
The Australian Cricketers' Association welcomed the announcement, and Sutherland said the Stars' success had helped inspire an 18 per cent increase in female participation in the past year.
''The performances of our female stars justify this step and the day will come when future, full-time professional female cricketers will look back and thank those who went before them,'' Sutherland said.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/sport/crick...#ixzz2U19rUc8d
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