AFL Women’s players frustrated at ongoing lack of certainty as pay negotiations roll on

AFL Women’s players have swiped the league for their lack of clarity on when the season will start. From broken promises to a plea to be able to ‘plan our lives’, here are their concerns.

AFL Women’s players are growing frustrated at another year of uncertainty surrounding pre-season and season start dates.

As negotiations surrounding a new collective bargaining agreement for both men’s and women’s players continue, the league and the AFL players’ association remain apart in their positions.

But after being assured certainty after last year’s upheaval and two-season year, female players remain without an official start date for pre-season, which is expected to begin next month.

Indicative dates range from early-mid May to the end of May, with the season — which also has a start date yet to be set — expected to begin in the pre-finals bye weekend.

Darcy Vescio, right is one of the players to concede they would have liked some clarity more than two months ago. More than eight weeks later, players are still without key dates. Picture: Getty Images)

“It’s the same s …, different year,” one player told News Corp on Monday.

“How are the girls and staff meant to plan their lives, their work, everything?”.

Another player who contacted News Corp said they “can’t believe things are up in the air again, less than 12 months on from being promised certainty” from headquarters.

Carlton star Darcy Vescio said in February — more than two months ago — that uncertainty had become the norm for AFLW players.

“We’ve probably all grown used to everything being a little bit in the air,” they lamented.

“It’d be great to get those dates (for pre-season and the season) ASAP. We need to plan our lives. Just mentally, being able to lock something in creates a bit of calm.”

With the lack of a CBA in place, the league and players reached a heads of agreement for the recent player movement period to go ahead.

The league’s most recent proposal floated a monster nine-year CBA, which is significantly longer than the AFLPA’s preferred option of around four years.

AFLPA boss Paul Marsh said earlier this year that a joint agreement between the two competitions remained a priority — as did certainty for players.

“It’s the right time to align the agreements with both CBAs now expired,” Marsh said in January.

“It is also a significant opportunity for the AFL industry to make a statement about its commitment to the AFLW competition and its ability to also grow the AFL competition and in doing so, entrench its position as the premier sport in the country for all male and female athletes … it’s important for the certainty of both competitions that the industry works through this as an urgent priority.”

An agreement was reached to allow players to move clubs before the CBA is struck, allowing Chloe Molloy to get to Sydney. Picture: Getty Images

The latest proposal from the AFL differs from the AFLPA’s stance on where pay increases for female players would be funded, with the players firm that the men’s cohort should not take a cut to boost female salaries with a push to increase the percentage of the game’s revenue afforded to players.

Players are also pushing to claw back money lost in the pandemic by 2020 players from future revenue.

Female players are currently only paid for nine months of the year — starting when pre-season begins — with a push to become fully professional by 2026.

The AFL has said it hopes to have “year round” athletes by 2030.

Season length has also been a key sticking point over recent times, with 10 games plus finals scheduled for last season, on the back of a significant pay rise for players.

The vast majority of players have been undertaking their own training programs in recent months in their own time.