CSA signs new MoU with South African Cricketers' Association

Cricket South Africa and the South African Cricketers' Association (SACA) have signed a new four-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), four months after the expiration of their previous agreement. The last MoU came to its conclusion on April 30 but an interim arrangement has been in place since then while the final document was negotiated. Both parties are satisfied with the new agreement.

The MOU consists of three parts, a main agreement which details player contracts and benefits, a commercial agreement which covers items such as image rights and a recognition agreement, a new feature which outlines the relationship between CSA and SACA. The two parties have historically had no formal processes that laid out things such as when they need to start discussing a new MoU or what to do if there is a dispute between them. Now, the relationship is defined on paper, which CEO Thabang Moroe was has been insistent on since December last year, when he also hinted that the revenue-share model could be re-examined.

CSA backtracked from those statements early on in the negotiations and have since maintained that they never planned to do away with revenue-share, though ESPNcricinfo reliably understands otherwise. However, the new MoU not only retains the revenue-share model but has expanded it substantially.

Women cricketers have been included for the first time, as have provincial cricketers (previously known as semi-professional cricketers). Collectively, 317 professional cricketers are now included in the MoU, which also zones in on player retention in the face of the growing threat from T20 leagues.

"There is a lot of focus on the need to make sure you retain your players in international cricket. Every country faces this challenge," Tony Irish, the SACA CEO, said. "We've done a pretty good job in this MoU of putting in place the best mechanisms and arrangements to give ourselves the best chance of retaining our best players."

Among those measures are financial incentives which are aimed at keeping cricketers in South Africa. The formation of a T20 league in South Africa will also be crucial to keeping players in the country, but that is still in the process of being finalised. "It (the new MOU) has left the door open for ourselves to sit and find a way to address the T20 competition and any other competitions should the franchise system change. We anticipate a change or growth as far as professional cricket is concerned," Moroe said.

Asked if the players were anxious throughout the delay, Irish acknowledged that there were concerns, which eased as the process unfolded. He also indicated negotiations should run smoother in future.

"We got to the end of the contract year and there wasn't an agreement in place. That does make players very nervous because the majority of players were coming out of contract and there were no longer-term arrangements," Irish said. "When we implemented an interim agreement to ensure that players continued with their contracts and that CSA could contract national players and franchises could contract players, that settled players down.

"Whenever there is a big negotiation, there is always a bit of tetchiness. This involves a lot of money, a significant amount of players and it runs over four years. I think we have a solid recognition agreement and a process in place as to how the next negotiation will run. When you formalise those sorts of things, things settle down."