AFLW players urged to reject new deal

Lawyers representing disgruntled AFLW players are urging their clients to reject a new collective bargaining agreement to be put forward by the AFL Players’ Association and the AFL. 

The protracted and at times acrimonious negotiations on a new deal were further muddied this week when a group of players concerned at a lack of consultation by the AFLPA engaged workers’ rights firm Maurice Blackburn Lawyers.

It follows women’s football trailblazer Susan Alberti’s call for AFLW players to break away from the AFLPA and form their own union.

A vote on a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) covering player conditions and the length of seasons over the next three years is expected to be completed by the end of the week.

“If I were a player I’d be voting no because I wouldn’t want to vote for something I hadn’t seen,” senior associate at Maurice Blackburn, Jacinta Lewin, told AAP.

“I wouldn’t be voting for anything where there hadn’t been really clear and transparent outlines of what I’m actually getting.

“‘What am I getting in my pocket? What does the season look like going forward? Where is the certainty around the game?’

“This is really a classic example of inadequate consultation and not listening to the players’ representatives.

“If it’s a no vote then that’s a very clear message that the AFLPA needs to listen to their players and they will really need to do some soul searching about they are going to better represent the AFLW players going forward.”

This year’s expanded 10-team AFLW season was run over seven home-and-away round with a preliminary final weekend followed by the grand final, won by Adelaide.

With Gold Coast, St Kilda, West Coast and Richmond to join the competition in 2020, one of the main sticking points has been the length of the season and how many weeks players are contracted for.  

Lewin declined to reveal how many players she is representing or what legal recourse is open to them should the CBA be passed. 

The AFLPA took a dim view of the group’s move to take on legal representation and returned fire via a prepared statement.

“The proposed AFLW CBA has been provided to all players and is now open for player vote,” an AFLPA spokesman said.

“We know that many players strongly support the proposed deal because it addresses player priorities and provides sustainable growth.

“The unknown players represented by Maurice Blackburn and the lawyers on record don’t represent the views of the collective playing group.

“We are concerned about the advice being given to the players and the potential negative impact this will have on the playing group and the AFLW competition.”