New Zealand's top 10 women cricketers will be "awarded annual contracts under the terms of a new Memorandum of Understanding" between New Zealand Cricket and the New Zealand Cricket Players Association, according to the NEW ZEALAND HERALD. It is a first in the country, as women were previously "only paid assembly fees when training and playing for the White Ferns." NZC Head of Cricket Lindsay Crocker said that "acknowledging the increasing demands placed on White Ferns" in terms of preparing for and participating in int'l cricket was a "key consideration in discussions." Crocker: "The contract system is designed to keep New Zealand's best women's players in the game for longer." NZCPA Player Services Manager Henry Moore said that the contracting arrangement "sought to balance players' commitments outside the game with their pursuit of progress within it." Moore added that a leading White Fern on a retainer contract "would now, depending on selection, have the ability to earn" approximately NZ$25,000 ($21,700) per year while "still having the opportunity to complete other work or study" (NZ HERALD, 7/22).
