AFL 2024 Player Salaries Revealed: Record Number of Million-Dollar Earners
The AFL has released its Total Player Payments (TPP) data for 2024, showcasing significant salary increases across the competition. With more players earning over $1 million than ever before, the financial landscape of the league is shifting rapidly as clubs invest heavily in retaining and rewarding their top talent.
One of the standout figures from the report is the increase in million-dollar players, which jumped from 19 in 2023 to 25 in 2024. This continues a decade-long trend of growing salaries, reflecting the AFL’s rising revenue, increasing salary cap, and the continued demand for elite talent.
Notably, the number of players earning at least $1.2 million annually has also increased, from eight in 2023 to 10 in 2024. Some of the league’s biggest stars, including Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver, Dustin Martin, Tom Lynch, Ben McKay, and Marcus Bontempelli, are believed to be among the top earners.
The average salary for an AFL-listed player now stands at $459,173, marking a rise from $441,464 last year. For players who played at least one senior game in 2024, the average salary was even higher at $493,592, demonstrating the financial benefits of consistent selection at the highest level.
The AFL salary cap increased from $15.0 million in 2023 to $15.8 million in 2024, allowing clubs to allocate greater funds to player wages. This trend is set to continue, with projections indicating that the cap will rise to $17.7 million in 2025, potentially leading to further salary increases for top-tier players.
Looking at historical trends, AFL salaries have grown exponentially over the last decade. In 2014, only four players earned more than $900,000 per season, whereas in 2024, 25 players surpassed that figure. This growth reflects both the rising revenue of the AFL and the increasing importance of star power in driving team success and commercial appeal.
An interesting shift in recent years has been the removal of lower-tier salaries. For the third consecutive year, no AFL primary-listed player earned less than $100,000. This marks a stark contrast to 2014, when 90 players were earning under that amount, highlighting the league’s commitment to increasing minimum player earnings.
Looking ahead, AFL clubs are preparing for a landscape where seven-figure salaries become more common. Some industry experts predict that by 2027, the final year of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), every club could have at least three players earning $1 million or more per season. This would further push AFL salaries to new heights and increase the competition for talent retention.
The rising player salaries highlight the financial strength of the AFL, as the sport continues to grow in popularity and commercial success. However, as clubs allocate more resources to high-profile stars, managing salary cap space effectively will be crucial in maintaining a balanced and competitive list.
With the 2025 salary cap increase on the horizon, player salaries are expected to keep climbing, cementing the AFL’s reputation as one of Australia’s most lucrative professional sports leagues. Fans can expect further record-breaking deals as clubs look to lock in their most valuable players for the long term.
| AFL PLAYER EARNINGS | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings | 2014 | 2014 | 2015 | 2015 | 2016 | 2016 | 2017 | 2017 | 2018 | 2018 | 2019 | 2019 | 2020 | 2020 | 2021 | 2021 | 2022 | 2022 | 2023 | 2023 | 2024 | 2024 |
| Played | Listed | Played | Listed | Played | Listed | Played | Listed | Played | Listed | Played | Listed | Played | Listed | Played | Listed | Played | Listed | Played | Listed | Played | Listed | |
| $0 - $60,000 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| $60,001 - $100,000 | 33 | 90 | 17 | 65 | 21 | 70 | 9 | 38 | 3 | 24 | 5 | 31 | 47 | 113 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| $100,001 - $200,000 | 177 | 198 | 163 | 188 | 162 | 185 | 112 | 152 | 108 | 159 | 101 | 166 | 165 | 189 | 93 | 132 | 83 | 125 | 64 | 128 | 58 | 117 |
| $200,001 - $300,000 | 136 | 147 | 143 | 153 | 121 | 131 | 130 | 140 | 129 | 136 | 111 | 124 | 134 | 142 | 106 | 119 | 115 | 126 | 97 | 106 | 93 | 104 |
| $300,001 - $400,000 | 125 | 128 | 124 | 131 | 137 | 148 | 137 | 148 | 137 | 145 | 118 | 123 | 124 | 131 | 116 | 119 | 106 | 109 | 93 | 96 | 100 | 103 |
| $400,001 - $500,000 | 75 | 76 | 84 | 85 | 87 | 89 | 87 | 89 | 86 | 88 | 104 | 107 | 58 | 60 | 106 | 111 | 89 | 95 | 89 | 91 | 89 | 94 |
| $500,001 - $600,000 | 31 | 32 | 44 | 44 | 35 | 40 | 52 | 53 | 44 | 49 | 47 | 48 | 38 | 40 | 66 | 66 | 69 | 71 | 76 | 80 | 74 | 75 |
| $600,001 - $700,000 | 26 | 26 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 34 | 34 | 46 | 46 | 41 | 42 | 13 | 13 | 42 | 46 | 37 | 39 | 53 | 54 | 53 | 53 |
| $700,001 - $800,000 | 10 | 10 | 21 | 21 | 15 | 18 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 24 | 28 | 29 | 4 | 4 | 24 | 25 | 32 | 32 | 41 | 42 | 57 | 58 |
| $800,001 - $900,000 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 24 | 24 | 28 | 29 | 18 | 20 |
| $900,001 - $1,000,000 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 19 | 19 |
| $1,000,001 - $1,100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 9 |
| $1,100,001 - $1,200,000 | - | - | - | - | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| $1,200,001 + | - | - | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| TOTAL | 623 | 719 | 623 | 718 | 614 | 718 | 612 | 707 | 605 | 703 | 586 | 702 | 587 | 698 | 575 | 655 | 582 | 659 | 575 | 660 | 586 | 668 |
