ANZ happy to 'contribute to a fund' for prize money for World Cup-winning Silver Ferns

The world champion Silver Ferns may be in for a payout after all, after sponsors ANZ said they were willing to contribute to a fund in "recognition of the team's commitment and dedication".

ANZ's comment comes after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern urged sponsors to consider coming up with some prize money for the champion team. 

"I wouldn't want to call [the sponsors] out but ultimately they're the ones that derive benefit from us being the best on the world stage," she said on the AM Show. 

The team clinched victory over England 52-51 in a nail-biting final to the tournament. 

The Prime Minister's comments came after it was revealed that despite the victory, the team would not be earning any prize money. That was compared to the Blackcaps who shared $3 million for their position as runners up in the Cricket World Cup.

In a statement released today, however, ANZ said it was "incredibly proud" of the team's victory. 

"Over the last 10 years, through highs and lows, we have invested about $30 million to help grow the sport of netball in New Zealand across all levels of the game from grassroots to elite.

"The Silver Ferns' World Cup victory was inspirational, so we're happy to work with other key stakeholders to contribute to a fund in recognition of the team's commitment and dedication."

The sponsor said it looked forward to continuing to work with women's sport well into the future.

MYOB, another of the team's sponsors, said player incentives are negotiated with Netball NZ and not the sponsors.

"Elite sports funding is complex and we are proud to play our part through our significant contribution to Netball NZ, the Silver Ferns and grassroots netball across the years of our partnership. Player payments and incentives are negotiated with Netball NZ," a spokesperson for the company says.

If the team does end up getting some prize money, Stephanie Bond, executive manager of the NZ Netball Players Association, says there'll be no complaints from the players. 

"I don't think we'd be complaining if that happened, would we? And I don't think the players would be either."

Apart from the lack of prize money, there was also controversy around the fact that the team was spotted flying home from the tournament in economy class, and not in business. But according to Bond, the players themselves never had an issue with that arrangement.

"The girls aren't actually kicking up a fuss about it. I think it is more of a media storm than anything." 

Newshub.