Diamonds Set For Netball World Cup After Contract Deal

Players picked for next month's Netball World Cup will be notified of their selection after the warring Netball Australia and Australian Netball Players' Association (ANPA) reached a temporary truce.

The parties are at loggerheads over a messy pay dispute that delayed the naming of the squad from Tuesday.

NA announced on Friday the parties had signed an extension of the current Collective Playing Agreement (CPA) that will run past the tournament in South Africa.

The governing body said the 19 players would now be notified of their selection, although the squad would be kept under wraps until an official announcement.

"We have come to an agreement with the ANPA to provide certainty to the playing group and we're looking forward to supporting the team throughout the 2023 Netball World Cup," NA boss Kelly Ryan said in a statement.

NA initially insisted the Diamonds' squad couldn't be confirmed until a long-term CPA was signed by the players union and said it needed to "uphold good governance standards".

Sticking points include a revenue share for players, which a stricken NA said it was not in a financial position to provide.

The ANPA requested on Thursday negotiations be separated from the selection announcement.

The union released another statement saying the players welcomed NA's "change of heart".

"The Australian Netball Players Association welcomes Netball Australia's agreement to extend the existing Diamonds Collective Player Agreement and Diamonds Player Contracts through to 31 August 2023," the ANPA said.

"This interim agreement has the effect of extending the negotiating period for the current bargaining discussions; ensuring that players can be notified of their selection in the upcoming Netball World Cup squad; restoring good faith to the negotiation process.

"In the interests of player wellbeing and index.php?page=register&action=register for the sanctity of the Australian uniform, ANPA welcomes NA's change of heart."

The Cape Town tournament gets underway on July 28.

The Diamonds are desperate to reclaim the World Cup crown they lost in 2019 when they went down to New Zealand by a goal in the final.