Joanne Broadbent had to pay for the privilege of playing cricket for Australia, now she will coach some of the nation's highest-paid female athletes.
Female cricketers, at both domestic and international level, were the big winners in last week's landmark pay deal.
They were included in the same agreement as men for the first time.
The gender-equity model means the pool of female player payments will increase from $7.5 million to $55.2m, while also ensuring improved conditions such as access to injury payments.
The country's greatest players will take home more than $200,000 a year, making them comfortably the highest-paid women in Australian team sports.
"Right now, they might not even realise how big this is," NSW and Sydney Thunder coach Broadbent said.
Broadbent does. She's watched women in the sport slowly but surely walk down the professionalism path since starting a 70-match international career in 1990.
"We paid a levy, say $2000, to go on a tour. You probably got more than $2000 worth in return but obviously you were out of pocket because you couldn't work," Broadbent said.
"Once you ran out of leave you were in trouble. I was lucky because I worked in a family business so getting time off was ok.
"It wasn't just income. Our facilities weren't as good and even staff. I remember playing for South Australia in my first year and we didn't have a coach.
"In some ways I think it's taken a while to change and in other ways I think I'd never be around to see something like this agreement.
"It's amazing and incredibly exciting times for a range of reasons."
The women's Ashes start in Brisbane on October 22.
Some 230 cricketers were unemployed for five weeks amid the protracted pay saga. State female players genuinely felt the pinch.
Broadbent was incredibly impressed with how the NSW Breakers, who last year became the first professional female team in Australian domestic sport thanks to a sponsorship initiative, handled the situation.
"There was no pay but they were training as professionals. There was no whingeing whatsoever," she said of her charges, who have won 18 of the 21 national one-day titles contested.
"They asked questions and were willing to have patience."
