They will contribute $500,000 to the Female Private Health Insurance Scheme launched by the Australian Cricketers' Association this summer, so all 111 women's domestic and Southern Stars representatives will be covered for at least the next two years.

It is not uncommon for professional athletes to have to pay for their own high-level health insurance, but that often poses a greater problem for women athletes, who do not command the same-sized pay packets as men.

The cover is particularly welcome for the game's domestic players, given the minimum contract of the Women's Big Bash League – which proved an outstanding success in the 2014-15 season – is $3000, while their 50-over competition has a retainer of $7000.

"It's nice to know that some of that has gone towards helping the female members," Southern Stars vice-captain Alex Blackwell told ABC Radio on Wednesday. "I think it's a great initiative from the ACA and the male players to dip into those existing funds, which come under an existing agreement with Cricket Australia."

A profit surplus resulting from last year's World Cup and cancelled Champions League tournament meant additional funds in the player pool would normally have been distributed across the male players. However, with the involvement of the ACA, the men agreed to transfer the money to give the game's female players automatic health coverage.

The ACA said all contracted cricket players, male and female, must have top-level health insurance, which they paid for themselves. Its research found the cost of the required health coverage was one of the financial deterrents to women staying in the game.

A Professional Footballers Australia spokesman said Football Federation Australia had agreed in its most recent negotiations with the national women's team  to search for a health insurance sponsor.

Team members must have top-level cover, although FFA covers the gap in out-of-pocket expenses.

The spokesman said players in the W-League were also required to purchase top-level insurance, even though that was a significant expense for many.

W-League teams each have a salary cap of $150,000, with few going close to spending that much.

The AFL Players Association said all male footballers had to buy their own health insurance, but arrangements for the women's league, set to be launched in 2017, had yet to be worked out.

The news comes before the ACA's next meeting with CA at the end of February, where a women's memorandum of understanding covering travel, accommodation, superannuation, scheduling and insurance will be discussed.

The talks have been boosted by the impressive WBBL ratings.

"Our product is actually viable and there is going to be greater revenue coming in from the women's game," Blackwell said. "We're definitely on the right track and things have moved quickly. I'm really excited to see what happens in the next year or two."

■NBL and WNBL clubs require players to pay for their own top-level private health insurance as a condition of their contract.

NBL players have all additional costs covered by their clubs and expenses covered for 28 weeks in the event of long-term injury.

WNBL players generally have their additional expenses paid but the level of this support can differ from club to club. Most WNBL contracts see players' expenses for long-term injuries paid for up to 12 months after the injury occurred.

■Among elite netballers, every ANZ Championship player from the five Australian franchises is required to take out her own top-tier health insurance, and to then negotiate with the club or state association for those costs to be covered or reimbursed.

With aap