Total player payments for the AFL’s women’s competition will rise more than a third next season under the AFLW’s first collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
Under the agreement reached by the AFL Players’ Association and the AFL, total player payments in the AFLW will total $4.748 million next year.
The minimum AFLW player wage will rise 27.6 per cent under the agreement, so the four-tier system now offers payments from $13,400 to $24,600.
The $127,500 in prize money for next season’s four finalists will be shared between the clubs, and players will have the chance to earn more income via a new AFL ambassadors fund worth $100,000 over four years.
AFL Players’ Association CEO Paul Marsh says players voted overwhelmingly in favour of the CBA.
“It recognises the significant time and energy they are investing to improve the standards of the AFLW competition but also gives the industry flexibility to continue to evolve the game,” Marsh said in a statement on Thursday.
“Players continue to juggle their football responsibilities, with full or part-time jobs, study and family life and this deal will help shape an environment where they can thrive.
“Gender equality continues to be a driver for our organisation and we’re proud to have achieved that by tying the minimum wage to that of the minimum wage for male footballers until 2022.”
The agreement also stipulates funding and access for AFLW players to the AFL Players’ Injury and Hardship Fund and minimum medical standards.
It also covered relocation allowances for players who live further than 100km from their AFLW team, and allocated $335,000 to support AFLW players with education and training grants.
The AFL’s head of women’s football, Nicole Livingstone, called the news a “significant milestone”.
“On the eve of our third year of competition, we are proud of AFLW enabling more opportunity for more female players with 300 players joining high performance environments in 2019.
“Investment in player wellbeing and development is vitally important due to the current part time nature of AFLW, to further support our players to grow both as players and individuals.”
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