AFL PLAYERS will receive a 20 per cent pay rise this year after a new $1.84 billion dollar, six-year pay deal was announced in Adelaide on Tuesday afternoon.
The bumper pay rise lifts the average player wage from $309,000 to $371,000 and the player salary cap from $10.37m to $12.45m.
The 20 per cent figure, first reported by AFL.com.au in March, will be followed by rises of 1.2 per cent (2018), 1.3 per cent (2019) and two 2 per cent in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
The deal was voted on by the players on Tuesday afternoon and signed off by AFL Players Association CEO Paul Marsh with overwhelming support of the League's 850 players.
AFL chairman Richard Goyder declared the historic six-year agreement was a significant win-win for both the players and the game's governing body.
Other specific key outcomes from the new CBA:
- Annual contribution of $4 million to the AFL Players’ Association’s Lifetime Health Care and Career Ending Injury fund
- Annual contribution of $250,000 for concussion research, inclusive of all tribunal fines
- $13 million over the life of the CBA to fund Industry-aligned Player Development programs and services
- 12 business class airfares per flight for WA-based teams when doing east/west travel
- Business class or premium economy airfares on international flights other than New Zealand
- Cost of single room accommodation has been removed from the clubs’ soft caps
- Removal of provision allowing players to contribute to cost of pre-season camps
- Eight grand final tickets for participating players
- 1000 tickets for distribution amongst players
- Category-A rookie-listed players will be eligible to play senior football from 2018
- Players no longer need to be restricted free agents before becoming unrestricted
- At least one additional free agency provision to be adopted by October 2017, from the following — Free agency for life, free agency portability, restricted free agency at four years for any players under median salary or such other change proposed by AFL and agreed by AFLPA
- Pre-season mini-breaks will increase from three to four days
- ‘Rested’ players or ‘held over’ travelling emergencies let out of their senior team will receive match payments
- Players agree to license their personal GPS data to be made available to clubs and broadcasters with specified limitations
More to come
