There’s a lot work left to do when it comes to player transactions and the AFL off-season. Be it free agency, trade week or the draft, all can be drastically improved.
It’s not only a incredibly outdated system the AFL use, it’s also a system which doesn’t allow our great game to reach its full potential.
Right now the NFL is the centre of all things sports in America, despite it being the off-season.
NFL free agency is at its height with fans all around the world refreshing their Twitter feeds at a record rate, waiting for ESPN’s Adam Schefter to break the next big signing.
In AFL terms, sure we get something similar to this with our free agency. However due to the small free agency window (only 18 days) it’s missing out on a lot of the hype and publicity found in the NFL.
Here’s what I propose the AFL should do:
1. Extend the free agency window to run all season long, ending when a respective team’s season ends.
2. Make player salaries known to the general public.
3. Push back the start of free agency until the beginning of November. Push back the AFL draft until early to mid-December over three days.
4. Set the start date for the AFL pre-season to January, all teams to begin on the same day.
5. Extend the trading period until the end of round five, which includes trading during the AFL Draft.
These ‘USA-style’ recommendations will help create growth and revenue for the AFL, but only if done the right way.
The temporary free agency window and ‘trade week’ is completely unnecessary in the modern AFL.
With countless pre-season injuries, gaping holes in teams and great players running around in state leagues it only makes sense for the AFL to extend both windows.
By pushing the opening of free agency back until November, the AFL could create much more interest in the free agency opening.
The AFL would also benefit by pushing the draft back until mid-December.
Allowing in-draft trading would create more interest in AFL draft day as the mystery of what your team is going to do is amplified.
Even better, in-draft trading would lead to some exciting changes and big stories, which in turn leads to more hype and potential revenue.
Transitioning the start of the AFL pre-season to a set date makes the general public and players alike to both look forward to the official start of the league year.
I understand that publicising all player salaries would be a massive step for the AFL to take. However, by not taking this step they are missing out on fan opinion and interest.
Publicising all salary cap details will also benefit the struggling clubs, and in turn make free agency more competitive.
The pressure to get paid as much as possible will encourage players to leave high-ranking clubs under salary cap pressure and join smaller teams, which can only benefit the AFL competition long term.
I’m not recommending an exact carbon copy of the NFL. There are still several things – such as the rookie list – which will be forever unique to the AFL.
But to create stranglehold on Australian sport and push interest and revenue to unprecedented levels the AFL should seek major changes in the way it structures the off-season.
What do you think about my proposed changes?
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