Cricket Australia and the six state associations say they have, “in-principle”, settled on a self-determination model that would let each state decide when – and how much – of its Big Bash League club it sells. It is progress, yes, but there are still a fair few potholes in the road, not least the players’ union standing firmly in the way.
Four state chairs and two proxy directors met CA bosses in Melbourne on Monday. By close of play they had, for the first time, come out with what CA later described as “strong agreement” to move into the next phase of private investment. The mood sounded markedly different from recent months when New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia had all but parked the idea.
Victoria’s move earlier this month – merging the Melbourne Stars and Renegades back-office teams and flagging an outright sale of one licence – jolted the rest of the country. Western Australia and Tasmania were already keen. Monday’s gathering seems to have dragged the final three states to the same page, at least for now.
A CA statement laid out the immediate take-away: “The Chairs provided their in-principle support of a self-determination model for private investment to be introduced into the game to be taken back to their individual boards for further discussion. The in-principle agreement, once conditions are met, would create the potential for Cricket Victoria to be the first state to go to market. This process would allow market testing of club valuation.”
That agreement still hinges on four rather chunky conditions:
• The governance structure of a new-look Big Bash to be signed off.
• Adjustments to CA’s own governance model so the pieces fit together.
• A deal with the Australian Cricketers’ Association on how the self-determination model actually works.
• A fresh funding and distribution pact between CA and each state.
Of those, the players’ sign-off looks the hardest. ACA chief executive Paul Marsh emailed the playing group on Sunday evening, all but slamming the brakes on. In the email, obtained by several outlets, he wrote that the union would not support the model in its current form. Marsh, a handful of senior players, CA chief Todd Greenberg and BBL boss Alistair Dobson had sat down in Melbourne late last week; the gap between them is still wide.
The ACA scheduled a call with Melbourne Stars and Renegades players on Monday afternoon, partly to untangle Victoria’s sudden administrative overhaul. With the two clubs now sharing staff – and one ticketed for sale – coaches and support roles are already under review. One insider suggested the Renegades may need to be run in caretaker mode next summer while ownership is sorted, “otherwise no-one really knows who’s signing the cheques”.
There is also the question of timing. States keen to sell will want clarity before spring, when commercial advisers normally start sniffing around. Those less eager could simply sit tight for a season or two, watch the numbers trickle in, then decide whether to jump.
Privatisation talk has hovered over the BBL for years, largely because the league’s value feels trapped inside a public-sector funding model. A private slice promises fresh cash, potentially sharper marketing, and, in theory, a pay rise for domestic players already eyeing richer T20 leagues overseas. Against that, traditionalists – and plenty of players – worry about ceding control and losing the community flavour that still pulls summer-holiday crowds.
A senior state official, speaking off the record, put it neatly: “We all see the upside of private money, but no-one wants to bulldoze the culture that got the BBL here in the first place.”
That tension is unlikely to disappear quickly. For now, though, the states have at least agreed on the shape of the starting line. Whether they all bolt once the gun goes – and whether the ACA agrees to run beside them – remains the next big test.
