AFLW Players Have Finally Received A Pay Rise, But It’s Still Way Below What Men Earn

The AFL has approved a substantial pay rise for players in the women’s league, just in time for the 2018 pre-season, however the total pay pool for AFL women’s athletes remains smaller than the combined salaries of the three highest paid male players.

Total player payments will increase from around $2.2 million to $2.75 million, a jump of 23 percent. The minimum salary paid to AFLW players will increase $8,500 to $10,500 and tier one players will now receive $20,000, up from $17,000.

The increase in pay reflects a heftier training workload for the players. At the moment players are obligated to train an average of 9 hours per week, but that will increase to 13 hours per week as a result of the new pay deal. Since most players were training more than 9 hours a week anyway, the pay jump means they will now be better compensated for the actual work they put in.

The contract, which applies to all 240 players in the women’s league, also includes medical coverage, relocation expenses, a travel allowance, pregnancy and early childcare policies, and the provision of boots and running shoes. Some of these conditions were also included in the old agreement.

The AFL Player’s Association, the union representing the players, said that the new deal “better captured the level of commitment required to train and prepare for the AFLW competition”.

Even though the pay rise is a solid increase on what players earned in the last AFLW season, it still lags woefully behind what male players earn. In fact, the three highest paid male AFL players collectively earn over $3 million. That’s more than the total salaries of all 240 players in the women’s league.

So it’s a step in the right direction, but we’re still miles away from pay equity, and if the AFLW has another bumper season with big attendance it’s going be harder and harder for the AFL to justify the low pay for women players.

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Feature image via AFLW/Facebook