AFL, players moving closer to agreement on pay deal for 2020
The AFL’s drawn-out negotiations with players over their 2020 wages are nearing an end, with a key detail of the deal all but agreed on which will progress talks.
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A breakthrough pay deal between the AFL and the game’s 850 players will revolve around the prospect of multiple scenarios playing out in the coronavirus crisis.
The deal, which could be signed off on Friday, will be flexible and see players earn varied amounts in 2020 depending on whether there are no games, some games or a full 17 rounds, plus finals.
Matches being played with or without crowds and the financial viability of key AFL sponsors and partners will also determine the size of the stop gap arrangement to be struck between the AFL and the players’ union.
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Precise details will be finalised in the coming weeks and months, but both parties were determined to agree in principle to multiple models and allow the AFL to accelerate plans to secure a sizeable bank loan to secure the game.
It is unclear whether the AFL has agreed to the players’ offer of a 50 per cent wage reduction until May 31, the date set tentatively by the league for the season’s resumption.
The AFL was pushing for far deeper cuts.
The pay deal will cater for players on minimum wages, the loss of match payments and players with heavily front or back-ended contracts.
The AFL is also keen to redraw the collective bargaining agreement with players that expires at the end of 2022.
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan offered to match the percentage of pay reductions suffered by players this year in negotiations with AFL Players’ Association boss Paul March on Wednesday.
A report on Thursday claimed the rival NRL had informed its players they would be asked to accept an 87 per cent pay cut to ensure the code’s survival.
But the AFL’s financial position is strengthened by its ownership of Marvel Stadium, valued at about $1 billion.
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Originally published as AFL, players moving closer to agreement on pay deal for 2020
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