Women's Footy 2022 AFLW Season Discussion (now Player Movement)

[Tom14]

Tahau Departs Lions

Brisbane Lions AFLW Premiership player Indy Tahau has informed the Club that she will need to pursue an opportunity at another AFLW Club to be closer to her family.

www.lions.com.au

 

[iBeng]

For family reasons makes it hurt less at least.

 

[The Flying Belgian]

Saw that one coming. Shame though.

 

[winged1]

Tahau Departs Lions

Brisbane Lions AFLW Premiership player Indy Tahau has informed the Club that she will need to pursue an opportunity at another AFLW Club to be closer to her family.

www.lions.com.au

Quite a few players getting in touch with Loz

 

[Surly Boy]

Orla staying it seems....

 

[LongLion]

Orla staying it seems....

Very happy with that. Orla's my favourite player & I love he accent

 

[Hollow Knight]

Orla you legend!

Best of luck to Indy too. Family first.

 

[MSB ROYS]

Happy that Orla decided to stay.

 

[Fatcat08]

Hopefully a good sign that Ally Anderson hasn’t been swayed by Expansion teams.

View attachment 1398819

Shes over in Europe and visited Starc so I doubt it

 

[Fatcat08]

Having me facilities that are equal to the men's is a symbol that can't be understated. That sort of commitment can't be matched anywhere else in the comp right now and sends a really strong message

 

[LionsMaw]

With Lutkins being out for this year as well, I would think the club would be doing all they can to keep her.
I am not surprised that Port are coming after her.

Since she's leaving for family reasons there's naught the Club can do to keep her. And since she's leaving a club with a winners culture I would be surprised if port weren't trying to sign her.

 

[HereIam86]

Revealed: The big new pay deal for AFLW players

The AFLW players have nearly doubled their pay in a one-year deal with the AFL that could be announced as soon as Thursday afternoon.

www.brisbanetimes.com.au

Top 8 will make finals next season with four weeks of finals. 10 round season again.

 

[Gadzorks]

Revealed: The big new pay deal for AFLW players

The AFLW players have nearly doubled their pay in a one-year deal with the AFL that could be announced as soon as Thursday afternoon.

www.brisbanetimes.com.au

Top 8 will make finals next season with four weeks of finals. 10 round season again.

Love the pay rises - moving in the right direction.

No other billion dollar business would ever get away with saying 'we are expanding and adding another department. We will staff it with people who get a token pay, and have to have a second job to live off. When they have shown they can create interest in their product we will consider small incremental pay rises with no intention of letting them live off the wage we provide'.

And it doesn't matter how the men's game and pay developed historically. Child labour was historically ok, and it's unacceptable now.

 

[Nathan Barley]

A big pay rise for a small extension of season. That's not bad

Wonder if there will be more pressure for AFLW make money

 

[POBT]

Love the pay rises - moving in the right direction.

No other billion dollar business would ever get away with saying 'we are expanding and adding another department. We will staff it with people who get a token pay, and have to have a second job to live off. When they have shown they can create interest in their product we will consider small incremental pay rises with no intention of letting them live off the wage we provide'.

And it doesn't matter how the men's game and pay developed historically. Child labour was historically ok, and it's unacceptable now.

I heard Daisy Pearce talk about the pay issue recently and she was talking about being paid for hours worked. I can't remember the exact numbers but basically the current pay deal assumed players would "work" (say) 15 hours a week whereas the minimum you could train and keep up with the comp was more like 25 hours.

While the pay is still low, particularly compared to the men, it's now starting to look more like a living wage, at least for the timeframe of the season. I mean, if you're young and studying, you can now play footy and probably not have to have another job - I'd imagine $39K for a uni student would be enough to get by? For others, it might mean being able to scale down their work commitments in season and scaling them up in the off season.

From here, hopefully it is a relatively small jump to full time professionalism and 17 round season. In the men's comp, I believe salaries start at about $80-90K? That seems like a nice level for a minimum wage in the women's, assuming they are playing in a full season. Maybe the highs of salaries won't be as high as the men's due to the difference in commercial value of the players and product (although that's going to be arguable), but at least we can aim for parity on minimum wage.

 

[M Malice]

I can not see in the foreseeable future AFL and AFLW earning the same amount of money, the men's version brings in a hell of a lot more revenue and it is the same all over the world in the vast majority of team sports that I can think of eg. men/women's soccer, basketball, rugby league/union, cricket, baseball, hockey.

However I am for subsidising the women's game to a certain extent particularly in the early growth stages of the competition but long term it should be largely self sustaining... IMO.

 

[Nathan Barley]

Who pays the wages? the clubs or the AFL?

 

[Gadzorks]

I can not see in the foreseeable future AFL and AFLW earning the same amount of money, the men's version brings in a hell of a lot more revenue and it is the same all over the world in the vast majority of team sports that I can think of eg. men/women's soccer, basketball, rugby league/union, cricket, baseball, hockey.

However I am for subsidising the women's game to a certain extent particularly in the early growth stages of the competition but long term it should be largely self sustaining... IMO.

Self sustaining ... Not a great argument with the sun and GWS still in the comp.

And us a few years ago, and other teams when they are really shit.

 

[dlanod]

Self sustaining ... Not a great argument with the sun and GWS still in the comp.

And us a few years ago, and other teams when they are really shit.

Last time I checked, the only club that is theoretically self-sustaining without AFL money is West Coast.

So what's "self-sustaining"? Obviously there's other ways to look at it - GWS brings in a lot of money in sponsorship, many clubs run a profit even if marginal, etc etc etc. AFLW generates investment and goodwill, which can be reflected in a business's bottom line. There's no simple answer, and I find people who are trying to reduce it to something are really just finding a reason to justify their dislike for the comp's existence. The key part is that the AFL, the key stakeholder, seems equivalent value in the AFLW and they're one of the few with full access to the books and the impact...

 

[POBT]

I can not see in the foreseeable future AFL and AFLW earning the same amount of money, the men's version brings in a hell of a lot more revenue and it is the same all over the world in the vast majority of team sports that I can think of eg. men/women's soccer, basketball, rugby league/union, cricket, baseball, hockey.

However I am for subsidising the women's game to a certain extent particularly in the early growth stages of the competition but long term it should be largely self sustaining... IMO.

I think that the idea it has to be self-sustaining makes it sound like it's a different sport. When my son started playing Auskick, we paid $60 and he got weekly coaching, a footy, a bag and a family pass to the Lions. It had to have been hundreds of dollars of value for $60. Did that need to be self-sustaining? Obviously not but 7 years on and he's still playing the game, watching the Lions on tv and has a season ticket. Not a bad loss leader.

Leaving aside all the arguments around equality, investment in women's sport is all about growth in what is already a mature market. If we limit our growth potential to the men's side of the game, we're trying to grow a part of the game which is close to maxing out, particularly in the traditional footy states. But if we can take 50+% of the population and turn most of them into rabid footy fans, starting when they are young but through equal participation and recognition, then the code will take enormous steps forward.

But that requires vision and investment. If the vision is that the men's and women's games are two sides of the same coin, then investment is going to be needed to grow the other half. And perhaps "subsidies", including having a more equal distribution of profits irrespective of where those profits are generated, is part of that.

I definitely see the argument around the revenue and commercial appeal - which is why I think you start with minimum wage parity as opposed to true wage equality. But a long term aim should be to reduce the wage gap, year on year. The Australian Open in tennis has had prize money parity. The Australian Open in golf is going to do the same this year for the first time ever. So it can be done. And I reckon that it's a great thing to aim for.

 

[Nathan Barley]

Last time I checked, the only club that is theoretically self-sustaining without AFL money is West Coast.

So what's "self-sustaining"? Obviously there's other ways to look at it - GWS brings in a lot of money in sponsorship, many clubs run a profit even if marginal, etc etc etc. AFLW generates investment and goodwill, which can be reflected in a business's bottom line. There's no simple answer, and I find people who are trying to reduce it to something are really just finding a reason to justify their dislike for the comp's existence. The key part is that the AFL, the key stakeholder, seems equivalent value in the AFLW and they're one of the few with full access to the books and the impact...

Does AFL money include a cut of the TV rights?

 

[M Malice]

So are we really suggesting that AFLW players should be earning the same as AFL players even if they play 22 games plus finals a season. ie. multi million dollar salary caps and many players on over 400/500K some approaching a Million dollars a season? Does Sam Kerr arguably the best womens soccer player on the planet earn as much as a Christiano Ranoldo or a Lionel Messi... I don't think so. Or Le Bron v the highest paid woman basketballer in the USA?

To reiterate what I said in my first post I am for subsidies/investment in elite leagues particularly early on... Oh and I am also for massive investment in junior pathways for both sexes.

 

[dlanod]

So are we really suggesting that AFLW players should be earning the same as AFL players even if they play 22 games plus finals a season. ie. multi million dollar salary caps and many players on over 400/500K some approaching a Million dollars a season?

Come on, nice strawman. If you see someone that suggested it, then quote it.

 

[Gadzorks]

So are we really suggesting that AFLW players should be earning the same as AFL players even if they play 22 games plus finals a season. ie. multi million dollar salary caps and many players on over 400/500K some approaching a Million dollars a season? Does Sam Kerr arguably the best womens soccer player on the planet earn as much as a Christiano Ranoldo or a Lionel Messi... I don't think so. Or Le Bron v the highest paid woman basketballer in the USA?

To reiterate what I said in my first post I am for subsidies/investment in elite leagues particularly early on... Oh and I am also for massive investment in junior pathways for both sexes.

If we paid that much, sam Kerr would change Sports. And many (most?) elite female teen-agers would be dealing to AFL. What a league we'd have!!

Great idea, thanks

 

[HereIam86]

AFLW Latest News - AFL.com.au/aflw

Latest breaking AFLW news from the official website of the Australian Football League.

www.womens.afl

A ONE-YEAR bridging AFLW Collective Bargaining Agreement has been struck between the AFL and AFLPA ahead of the competition's new season in August.

Season seven of the AFLW will now commence in the last weekend in August, and consist of ten home-and-away rounds and a four-week finals series, with the Grand Final to be held on the last weekend of November.

The CBA deal will result in a substantial pay rise of an average of 94 per cent across all four payment tiers, with players having been particularly keen to have their unpaid hours (maintaining fitness, recovery etc) recognised in the new deal.

The top tier will be paid $71,935, while the minimum AFLW wage will increase from $20,239 to around $39,184.

With the CBA signed, the AFL and AFLPA confirmed the new season will start in the AFL pre-finals bye in the last weekend in August, four and a half months after Adelaide was crowned premier of the 2022 (part A) season.

The long-awaited dates around the Sign and Trade Period and the NAB AFLW Draft have now also been finalised.

The Expansion Signing period will commence on May 24, with the Sign and Trade period to commence on May 31.

The NAB AFLW Draft will be held on June 29, with pre-season training to commence for all clubs on June 13.

The expired CBA saw players contracted for 15 hours a week during pre-season and 10 (excluding matches) during the season itself, but players found themselves doing a lot more individual work outside of those hours in order to maintain a high standard of performance.


Just two players per club occupy each of tier one and tier two, with expansion clubs capitalising heavily on that imbalance when attracting tier three talent from other teams.

Despite four new teams – Essendon, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and Sydney – joining the competition, the new season will remain at 10 rounds, however an extra week of finals will be added and a top eight introduced.

The next CBA is expected to revolve around the season length, with the AFLPA aiming to have a full-time, 18-round competition by 2026.

The AFL head of women's football Nicole Livingstone has maintained the AFL's aspirational goal is to have "year-round" athletes by 2030, rather than full-time or the current six-month, part-time contracts.

Key dates for AFLW season 7​

• AFLW Expansion Signing Period 24 May 2022
• Sign and Trade Period 31 May 2022
• NAB AFLW Draft 29 June 2022
• Pre-season commences 13 June 2022
• Season Commences, 25-27 August 2022*
• Finals commences, 4-6 November 2022*
• NAB AFLW Grand Final, Weekend of 25-27 November 2022*