Report reveals surprising insights that have the AFLPA open to increasing the draft age beyond 18 years
It’s devestating for young players who miss being drafted at 18, but if they finally make it into the AFL, are the then mature-aged recruits better prepared for the big league?
AFL
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Delisted young footballers are leaving the game with a set of challenges far greater than seasoned players who hang up the boots, new research has found.
The AFL Players’ Association canvassed 208 players who left the game from 2019-2021 and found those with short career spans had lower levels of wellbeing, higher levels of career self-doubt and a more difficult journey finding their feet after football.
Those surprising insights have the AFLPA open to increasing the draft age beyond 18 years in what is an age-old debate that has the strong support of several premiership coaches and clubs – but not the AFL, who fear rival sports would poach star junior talent.
“I think there's definitely an argument for that (increasing the draft age),” AFLPA boss Paul Marsh said.
“We certainly see the players coming in the system as mature-age players are better prepared.
“They know what the other side looks like, they've got some skills already. In saying that it’s not the be-all and end-all. Delaying it by a year isn’t necessarily going to solve all these problems.”
Youngsters who have their AFL dream ended early still carry a “super high athletic identity” and often bounce around state leagues attempting to earn a second chance.
“The general view is that players with a shorter career span are not as affected as they haven't been in the bubble as long,” AFLPA general manager of member programs and services Ben Smith said.
“But everything in the research that we're seeing now would suggest that that journey is actually more challenged than it is for the player that retires.
“They were lower on all of the markers — wellbeing, financial confidence and confidence in transition from a career perspective.
“The work on their non-athletic identity hasn’t been done and that’s where the confidence comes from about who they are if they’re not a footballer,”
Mature-agers have far more autonomy in their decision-making before entering an AFL club whereas teenagers drafted are often told when to sleep and what to eat.
That means suddenly self-navigating life away from football can be difficult.
Recently punted youngsters include Liam Stocker (Carlton), 22, Francis Evans (Geelong), 21, and sons of guns Tom Hird (Essendon), 21, and Tyler Brown (Collingwood), 22.
Greater Western Sydney, who is set to trade Tanner Bruhn to Geelong two years after using the No.12 pick on him, wants the AFL to increase draft contracts to three or four years for players selected in the top 20-25.
Marsh said it would be: “Great if players had longer careers guaranteed ... (but) I don't know if that proposal helps the problem”.
Revealed: The clubs with the best culture in the AFL
A fresh report that has surveyed every footballer in the AFL has revealed clubs who trust their players are far more likely to enjoy premiership success.
The first edition of the AFL Player’s Associations’ Insights & Impact Report has proven there is a link between workplace culture and ladder success.
But several clubs and senior football figures appear to be failing to understand the importance — and subsequent on-field benefits — of striking a healthy work-life balance.
The majority of AFL players told the report they feel their senior coach is unsupportive of them pursuing off-field interests, while AFLPA chief executive Paul Marsh said clubs who choose empowerment over control have become destination clubs.
“The workplace culture measures correlate very, very closely with what’s happening on the field,” Marsh said.
“In this particular report, and this is not a once-off, the top four clubs on the ladder are within the top six clubs on our workplace culture measures.
“We’re seeing some real clear themes here, and the key words I’d probably use are trust, care, respecting the players’ time and empowering players is what we’ve seen as the big shift in the industry.
“The clubs who are having on-field success are getting those points. Trust both ways (and) not seeking to control everything that the players do is having a big impact on players’ enjoyment, and the players are repaying that trust.
“Players have more leave now than they’ve ever had, yet they’ll come back from their leave periods ready to go.
“Players are repaying the trust and the clubs that are giving it to them are becoming clubs of choice.
“Players are gravitating towards those clubs. The work we do and players talking to each other, there is a movement towards those types of clubs.”
It’s believed the report, which covered the 2021 AFL season, read favourably for Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Geelong and Brisbane Lions.
They all ranked in the top six for workplace culture.
Western Bulldogs reached the grand final but are understood not to have ranked in the top six clubs for workplace culture as somewhat of an outlier.
The Dogs sought AFLPA permission to train through their designated mid-season bye last year but were unable to engineer a replacement break as Covid created fresh chaos.
The Demons are understood to have ranked lowly many seasons ago but changed their culture and charged to last year’s drought-breaking premiership.
“The clubs are embracing this data. When I started this role in 2014 I could not believe how little the players were enjoying (their jobs),” Marsh said.
“There’s been a huge shift. The clubs are giving the players more trust and the players are repaying that trust.
“Even the bottom club is still going better than they were (in 2013), but the top clubs are doing so much right. So impressive.
“So clubs are taking this seriously.
“We’ve had some really difficult conversations with some clubs in the last five or six years where they’ve been at the bottom of this stuff and clubs have actually won premierships since.
“We’re just representing what their players are telling them and clubs that are acting on it we’re seeing proper improvement.
“Consistently the clubs that we see as the best performers on the field are the best performers in this as well.”
Marsh said some clubs were changing their schedules “with no notice” and the flow-on effect hindered players’ off-field lives.
He said the “top clubs understand that”.
The survey questions used to rank workplace culture at AFL clubs included;
* My club commitments allow adequate time for study and / or additional work placements;
* My club commitments allow adequate time for leisure, family / other important relationships;
* Off-field development is taken seriously at my club; and
* I feel my club cares for me as a person, as well as a player
One club ranked a concerning 6.45 out of 10 from players who were asked: “My club commitments allow me to have a ‘mental break’ from footy between matches”.
The average club score for that study was 7.96, with 11 clubs grading 8.0 or higher and the leader at 9.37.
Clubs were de-identified in the report however the AFLPA has shared individual club data with each club so they know their ranking in the league.
Also of concern was the 9 per cent of players who were expected to attend their club on their weekly day off in 2021, a rise from 2 per cent in 2019.
A further 27 per cent of players were expected to ‘report back’ to their club during annual leave through GPS tracking apps and time trial results.
Close to 40 players (5.6 per cent) admitted they were still not reporting their concussions while 6.2 per cent said they continued to play or train without medical attention while concussed.
While players rate their understanding of concussion, 32 per cent said they receive AFL education less than once a year and 64 per cent are concerned about the potential long-term effects.
Players want the AFL’s 12-day concussion protocols to be backed up by science and medical evidence.
“It is important to state that players and the AFLPA would be open to a number more or less than 12 days if the science and medical evidence dictates it,” the report said.
“We believe players will be more likely to report if and when we reach this point. Encouragingly, the vast majority of players believe their club prioritises their health and safety over performance when managing a head knock.
“This belief diminishes somewhat when comparing their club’s response to head knocks in the Home and Away season with the Finals series.”
Only 40 per cent of first-year players reported to having a Player Individual Development Plan, a steep drop from 69 per cent in 2019 and 50 per cent in 2020.
There was a large discrepancy between the amount of players who penned a Player Individual Development Plan, a document which plays a vital role in helping players proactively explore outside interests to support their off-field development and their ultimate transition out of the game.
While one club had 92 per cent of its players write an individualised plan, another had just 41 per cent.
The AFLPA has listed 32 recommendations across seven different areas. The workplace culture and club support ones include;
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