AFLW players feel a ‘responsibility’ to stand up on new deal, says Western Bulldogs women’s boss Debbie Lee

AFL Women’s players continue to negotiate their new collective bargaining agreement, and Western Bulldogs women’s football boss Debbie Lee says the collective is feeling a “responsibility” to stand up for what they think is right.

AFL Women’s players feel a collective sense of “responsibility”, according to one of the game’s key figures, as collective bargaining agreement talks stretch into another week.

The AFL Players’ Association presented the women’s league players with the AFL’s proposed three-year agreement a fortnight ago, with negotiations continuing as a raft of players push for more games and changed conditions.

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The players have sought more time and clarity to consider the proposed deal and are set to meet as a collective again on Tuesday, with Western Bulldogs women’s football boss Debbie Lee embracing the deeper consideration by players.

“I like the fact that it’s collaboration,” she told the Herald Sun.

“My observation is the girls feel like they have a sense of responsibility, because they’re setting this up for the next three years.

“Some of those players may still be playing in the AFLW and some may not, but they have a sense of responsibility for, if they have left the game, for the next generation coming through.
“That’s the driver — it’s not about the money.

“It’s about that ‘we’ve got an opportunity, and we’ve got a voice’. And they should have a voice.

“I embrace it — I embrace them being collaborative with the AFL and the AFLPA, because if they do that, they’ll get to the right outcome.”

There is frustration for clubs with the pre-season start date held up given the negotiations.

It could begin as early as November 4 or as late as November 18.

The deal marks the first multi-year agreement for AFLW, after annual agreements since the competition was established for the 2017 season.

Western Bulldogs football boss Debbie Lee says AFLW players are fighting for what they believe is fair. Picture: Stuart Milligan

It is understood that players are yet to officially vote on the new deal but players are seeking external advice.

The proposed deal — which would end after the 2022 season — would bring the women’s, men’s and broadcast agreements to an end at the same time.

There remains a group of players who continue to push for next season to be lengthened to 13 games plus finals — meaning every team would play each other once in 2020.

The league’s proposal sits at eight games plus three weeks of finals next year and nine games plus three weeks of finals for 2021 and 2022.

Players are also set to have their pay increased by 21 per cent in 2020, then an additional 10 and 11 per cent in the following years.

“There’s different lenses. There’s the AFL lens, the financial model lens, the player lens, the equality lens, so it’s really hard to manage,” Lee said.

“One of the things they would like to look at would be the last year being a bit more of an increase, and I think it’s just around ensuring that.

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“There’s some wanting to play every team, others want to see a progressing increase across the years … they can probably come to an agreement on the third year, because years two and three are the same.

“There’s so many different factors … but they are factors that you have to consider to ensure the progression of the game.”

Lee — a women’s football pioneer — is also a member of the league’s competition committee and said conversations continue around the competition’s structure, including producing a conference system as even as possible.

“That’s the challenge, to be honest, because it’s an evolving game,” she said.

“In 2018, (the Bulldogs) were winning the premiership and by the next season, we were on the bottom of the conference ladder. And that’s just women’s footy. I think we’ve all just got to have an appreciation for that right now … it will settle down, but it’s just the growth and it is what it is.”

Lee will coach the Bulldogs VFLW outfit in tomorrow’s VFLW grand final.