AFLW players eligible to be drafted to any club under new rules

AFLW players will enter an open draft in a landmark move for the football’s elite women’s competition, leaving the country’s best young players open to head anywhere in Australia.

AFL Women’s draftees will be able to be selected by any club from this December with the competition moving to a national draft for the first time.

The shift comes as an early addition in the wake of the league’s competitive balance review that revealed clubs were in favour of “a fairer and more equitable player access mechanism”.

Previously, players – who were at that stage not contracted year-round – could opt to nominate for a specific state, or nationally, with almost 70 per cent of last year’s draftees opting to be part of the national pool for selection.

The move, that was ticked off by the AFL Commission this week, will be in place following the ninth season of the women’s competition which begins in late August.

As revealed by this masthead, draftees will also be contracted for a minimum of two years in a bid to foster greater security for young players.

League boss Andrew Dillon at last year’s AFLW Draft. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“As the league continues to evolve, we’re seeing more draftees willing to chase their football dreams by moving interstate,” league football boss Laura Kane said on Thursday.

“An AFLW draftee from this year can earn up to $83,837 in salary and relocation allowances.

“This transition coincides with an increase of investment in talent pathways, meaning the players coming through the ranks are more prepared for elite-level footy than ever before.

“This will allow our rising stars to be more equally spread across the league, fast-tracking the improvement of developing sides and strengthening the competitive balance of the competition.”

Players are strongly in favour of the shift, with AFL Players’ Association AFLW chief Julia Chiera saying “now is the right time” for the progression to a national model.

The 2023 AFLW Draft’s first-round picks.

“(It is) giving players greater freedom of opportunity and clubs improved access to talent across the country,” Chiera said.

“While players have previously had the option to join a national draft pool, it was important that first-year players were protected from having to uproot their lives without sufficient remuneration.

“Pleasingly, due to the recent Collective Bargaining Agreement, AFLW minimum wages will increase to $67,337 in 2025, and when coupled with improved relocation allowances and the security of a two-year contract, all drafted players will have greater capacity to establish themselves in their new club’s community and give them the best chance to hit the ground running in their football careers.”

Under the new collective bargaining agreement that was signed late last year, draftees are in line for a 20 per cent pay increase for the 2025 season, with all AFL Women’s players now contracted for 12 months of the year.