The AFL Has Announced A Significant Pay Rise For Players In The New AFL Women’s Competition

The AFL has announced a pay increase for players in the recently established national women’s competition, after their initial offer was rejected by the AFL Players Association as too low

Most Players In The New AFL Women’s League Will Be Paid Just $5,000

Under the new deal, the base salary for players in the seven round plus grand final competition will rise from $5,000 to $8,500. The salary for ‘priority’ players will rise from $10,000 to $12,000, while the salary for ‘marquee’ players will rise from $25,000 to $27,000.

The AFL has also agreed to cover the cost of the players’ boots and runners, and will provide a travel allowance for players who travel interstate, including a carers allowance for players with children under 12.  The league will cover out-of-pocket medical expenses, but players will still have to pay for their own private health insurance (this is also the case for male players).

The new pay deal has been designed to bring player wages in line with the amount received by rookies in the male competition. The figure breaks down to around $30 per hour for a nine hours per week training schedule (beginning in November), plus seven or eight games.

However, it’s worth mentioning that many male rookies don’t actually play any senior games. The deal also doesn’t account for the many hours of additional training that players will likely put in on their own time.

AFL Players Association CEO Paul Marsh told reporters that in an ideal world, the pay deal would be commensurate with the average salary for listed male players. Nevertheless, he said that the female players had agreed to the compromise, with more than 90 per cent of the players voting to accept the deal. “We’re happy because the players are happy,” said Marsh.

The inaugural AFL Women’s competition begins in February next year.

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h/t The Age. Feature image via Melbourne Football Club/Facebook