AFL to reveal coronavirus plan to clubs as AFLPA plans phone hook-up with more than 1000 AFL and AFLW players
As competition bosses prepare to unveil a plan to clubs that aims to play as many matches as possible, the players themselves are split on the issues, with financial security and health on the agenda.
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The AFL player union will canvas its club delegates at 1pm on Monday with extremely mixed views from the playing group about whether to proceed with the season.
Some senior players have strong misgivings about whether to proceed given safety concerns, the impact on their families and the likely spread of the virus.
But many younger players or those on base payments with match fees will be desperate for the season to start to try to pay mortgages and secure their livelihoods.
Some players have told their managers they are desperate to start the season, dreading the prospect of a season hiatus and the likely second pre-season that would follow.
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Many players have base contracts of around $85,000 then match payments of up to $5000 per game.
Many also have games-based or performance-based contracts that mean they need to play a certain number of games or finish high in a best-and-fairest to secure extra salary.
Others have games-based contracts which they must hit to secure an extra season on their deals, with failure to do so putting them in limbo with their clubs.
Those contracts can vary by as much as $200,000 per season based on outstanding performance and depend upon the season going ahead at some stage.
Players across the competition have already been told they will need to take pay cuts that could rise as high as 10 per cent.
For a younger player on a base contract who is already missing out on as much as $120,000 of match payments that will be a disastrous scenario.
High-profile players also rely on in-season appearances with media and speaking engagements to top up their salaries, with all of that now in jeopardy.
The AFL’s 1200-plus AFL and AFLW players will be involved in separate phone hook-ups today with little certainty the season will take place.
A player recruited last November beyond pick 41 is guaranteed a base salary of $85,000 plus $4000 match payments.
A player recruited in the top 20 last November is handed $100,000 plus $4000 match payments.
A second-year player taken at pick 20 or better receives $105,000 plus $5000 match payments.
OVER 1000 PLAYERS IN CORONAVIRUS PHONE HOOK-UP
The AFL could continue its early-season schedule even if a player tests positive to coronavirus as it prepares to update its senior coaches on a dramatic schedule overhaul.
AFL football boss Steve Hocking will, on Monday morning, meet with coaches and football bosses on plans to fixture five games in three rounds as early as Rounds 2-4.
The league’s presidents will be briefed on Monday afternoon as the AFL continues to work through ticketing, membership and other financial issues.
But clubs believe they will need to play, on average, every four days during that early period, with a mini-draft to come as early as next week.
It comes as the AFLPA will, on Monday hold a phone hook up with every AFL and AFLW player — over 1000 — to determine their response to the crisis.
There remain reservations from some senior AFL players about continuing with the football season.
The phone conference will allow players to put forth their views on the same day senior coaches, football bosses and club presidents will hold meetings with the AFL.
Medical experts, including Dr Peter Brukner, have said an AFL shutdown is “inevitable” in coming weeks because of the certainty a player, coach or official will contact coronavirus.
But the league is still working through protocols that could see a player testing positive immediately quarantined and the rest of the club and list tested for the virus.
If the virus had not spread to players or coaches, the season might continue without an immediate postponement.
Richmond senior club adviser Neil Balme told the Herald Sun the league is suggesting one positive test wouldn’t see the season immediately postponed.
“We have asked that question 100 times and not got an answer. The overall philosophy we understand — we have to slow this down and accept as an inevitability it’s going to get worse,” he said.
“But if one of our people got it, we don’t know what would happen.
“One part of you says everyone would be out of business (for the moment) but the AFL is inferring maybe it won’t be quite as dramatic as that.”
The Herald Sun understands the league is investigating the possibility of Virgin airlines putting on private planes for the six teams travelling in Round 1, with the league’s hotel chain AccorHotels to isolate teams into one floor of hotels.
The mini-draft would need to come before that glut of games and could see teams adding five or six players from state leagues or even retirement.
But there are complex insurance questions regarding those players including what happens if they suffer serious injuries.
Clubs across the competition continue to test players with colds and sniffles and have been told the current 36-hour wait for results will dramatically shorten in the next week.
The league remains in continual contact with health and government authorities over its plans to play in Round 1 and as of last night was determined to move ahead with the fixture.
Yet the health guidelines around coronavirus are moving so fast there is still a prospect the season will be postponed before Thursday night.
Pay cuts to players and club officials would seem inevitable given the demand to cut millions from club balance sheets.
Clubs could ask players to take pay cuts of up to 10 per cent to reduce costs as they try to slash up to $5 million from their budgets.
Players on base payments with match payments could also lose some of their salary because they would be unable to play as many as five games played over three weeks.
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The Herald Sun also understands one club is set to ask its officials on more than $100,000 per annum to take a 10 per cent pay cut.
But if clubs return to profitability in coming seasons, those staff might eventually have that money returned to them.
The AFLPA maintains no figure has been raised in terms of AFL player pay cuts but if they ended up taking a 10 per cent cut it would save clubs $1.2 million for the season.
The players’ union is keen to make decisions on behalf of the collective playing group and provide feedback on a range of the AFL’s possible scenarios.
It remains to be seen what would happen if players with young children or elderly parents refused to play because of the risk of catching or spreading coronavirus.
Football boss Hocking is set to update those coaches on the AFL’s plans but also ask them about what they would need if the AFL was to play a packed suite of games.
Ideas being put forward are shorter games, unlimited interchange and access to top-up players to boost list sizes for those tightly-packed clashes.
The feedback from the coaches will instruct the league’s decision making, with every option on the table but no firm ruling yet on when those games would be played or the regulations around them.
The league is keen to pack the early schedule with multiple games but it is not known if that would commence from Round 2 onwards or in subsequent weeks.
Originally published as AFL to reveal coronavirus plan to clubs as AFLPA plans phone hook-up with more than 1000 AFL and AFLW players