Australian netball great Liz Ellis has called out Netball Australia for its “callous disregard” after she was unable to present Courtney Bruce with the Liz Ellis Diamond award.
Ellis missed the event due to a scheduling conflict but released a statement on social media stating she was invited the day of an RSVP deadline.
“I am incredibly disappointed that I was not able to be there in person to present the award to Courtney,” she wrote on Instagram.
READ MORE: Iconic 112-year-old scoreboard’s one subtle change
READ MORE: Bitter reaction to accidental cult hero’s viral golf moment
READ MORE: Swimming legend quits job as AFLW boss
“For the avoidance of doubt, I want to put on the record that I was sent an invitation to the event on 3 November – which was the deadline for RSVPs.
“I was assured that I could ignore the RSVP deadline. However, given that I had been given no prior notice of the date on which the award named after me was to be handed out, I had already committed to another event that night.”
Ellis went on to explain she had written an email to the event organiser and NA chief executive officer, Kelly Ryan, expressing her disappointment.
Kelly then “apologised for the oversight”, according to Ellis.
The Australian Netball Awards ceremony was a controversial night for NA, with Australian players threatened by legal action if they did not attend as the pay dispute between both parties drags on.
“The Diamonds are attending because they are legally obligated to be present,” the Australian Netball Players’ Association said in a statement.
“With no agreement on our collective player agreement, SSN players have been unpaid for nearly eight weeks. We will continue to #FightForFair. What we have requested is affordable and sustainable to the game and promotes a genuine partnership to grow the game.”
Several players involved in the Super Netball competition did not attend.
In her post, Ellis ripped NA over its threat of legal action, expressing her disbelief at the actions.
“My disappointment and embarrassment at not being able to attend turned into anger when I was made aware that current Diamonds players and their advisers were threatened with possible legal action if they did not attend the dinner,” she wrote.
“As a former Diamonds captain, I can not believe that the governing body of the sport I love would treat its Diamonds athletes, who are brilliant role models and ambassadors for netball, with such callous disregard.
“These are women who have not been paid in eight weeks. Who are fighting for fair pay and conditions not only for themselves but for the players who come after them.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C0I_LXuhbRy/?utm_source=ig_embed&
“Who consider themselves custodians of the game. And who I suspect would love nothing more than to attend an event where their world-beating heroics of the past 12 months were to be celebrated.
“Yet who felt so strongly about what they were fighting for, that they were prepared to forego celebrations.”
Ellis went on to describe the situation as a “crisis”.
“So, yet again, netball finds itself in the headlines for the wrong reasons — another crisis entirely of the sport’s own making,” she said.
“This question must be asked not just by players, or ex-players like me, but by the whole system. And it is a question that needs an immediate answer.”