http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...e/news-story/7e1f23b9958dac096f234a8c136aa1f5
Pay deal: NRL players poised to hit $1 billion jackpot in deal Todd Greenberg says can unite rugby league
DAVID RICCIO, EXCLUSIVE, The Sunday Telegraph
33 minutes ago
NRL players are poised to secure a $1 billion payday chief executive Todd Greenberg believes can unite the code like never before in its 109-year history.
In what would prove a landmark victory for the players, the Rugby League Players’ Association has the power to end months of tense negotiations by accepting a Collective Bargaining Agreement that includes a 50 per cent pay rise for players and the highest minimum wage in Australian sport.
As of Friday, the RLPA was not willing to accept the deal, insisting the NRL’s guaranteed offer to the players that they receive almost 30 per cent of projected revenue fell short of their demands.
The deal will be presented to a mass meeting of players from the nine Sydney clubs and the seven regional and interstate clubs via video link by the RLPA on Monday.
There are several major points within the deal which indicate how the RLPA has maximised the fortunes and working environment for players.
The Sunday Telegraph can reveal they include:
● An unprecedented $3.75 million allocation in funding for women’s rugby league and a contract system which helps take the women’s game into a professional era;
● A new $3 million per year Injury Hardship Fund for players who suffer career-ending injuries and which will be administered by players, not the NRL;
● A “revenue share” model, guaranteeing them almost 30 per cent of earnings from broadcast rights, sponsorship and other revenue streams;
● The minimum salary for NRL players will rise from $80,000 to $120,000 while the average salary will increase from $280,000 to $340,000 at the end of the five-year agreement.
“This deal has the potential to unite the game like never before,’’ Greenberg said.
“I say that because we have made the players genuine partners in the game.
“For the first time they will have a fixed share of income — and they will share in any upside we enjoy in the future. So we will all be on the same page. The more the players do to promote and make the game successful, the more players and grassroots will benefit in the future.’’
Until Friday, the RLPA had continued to haggle with the NRL over “key financial and non-financial aspects of the agreement’’.
However, the likelihood of a deal being struck on Monday — without the players having to deliver on a threat of strike action and before the current agreement expires in October — remains a possibility.
Also included in the CBA is the promise that 81 cents in every dollar in the game goes to funding or supporting the NRL, while the rest goes to grassroots. And in another win for the players, they will have more flexible training and working conditions.
The RLPA is hoping every player from each of the 16 clubs will be available to decide whether to accept or reject the offer at Monday’s meeting.
