AFL boss tells players they can peruse financial books as pay talks loom
The AFLPA asked for transparency from the AFL in regards to revenue earnings and the AFL has obliged. But the AFL will find it difficult to give players an exact statement, Mark Robinson reports.
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AFL boss Gillon McLachlan will open the league's financial books to the players in the first major step towards looming pay talks.
The Herald Sun revealed this week the AFL players’ union wanted “complete transparency” from the AFL and the league has agreed the players have the right to peruse the current financial impact on the competition.
The league will push for a reduction to next year's $14.5 million salary cap because of the COVID-19 crisis.
The AFLPA said it wanted access to the league’s records before it agreed to any changes to the existing collective bargaining agreement.
The AFL will, however, find it difficult to give an extact statement to the AFLPA because projections for next year and the year after are yet to be determined.
The league has previously provided the union with detailed financial payments in past pay deals, but this time the union will be expecting even deeper access all revenue and expenses.’
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The 18 clubs and the AFL, which is working towards contract extensions with its TV partners Fox Footy and Channel Seven, will lose hundreds of millions of dollars this year.
The request by the AFLPA for transparency got the official green light on Wednesday
''Everyone is focused on getting the games up and going again but once we have the season in full swing, we will sit down with the AFLPA and work through the review of the CBA and as part of that we will provide all the appropriate AFL financial information and revenue outlooks,’’ an AFL spokesman told the Herald Sun on Wednesday night.
The looming pay talks are expected to be drawn out fight between the league and the players, and will include disucssions in list sizes in 2021 and 2022, which is linked to the salary cap.
Western Bulldogs president Peter Gordon has declared the game’s 850 players should brace for pay cuts “significantly north of 20 per cent” in 2021.
AFLPA boss Paul Marsh sent an email the players on Tuesday, saying the coming months will be challenging.
“We will not be reviewing it blindly – our commitment to the AFL is to do the review, this does not automatically mean a commitment to it changing,” Marsh said in the email.
“We need complete transparency from the AFL ahead of the review and any consideration for change to the CBA can only be done once we understand the actual impact of COVID-19 on the industry.”
“The coming months will be challenging, and your ongoing unity remains paramount to our way forward. As such, your continued support of the AFLPA and fellow players is valued and appreciated”.
The players have taken a 50 per cent wages reduction until the end of season.
Victorian club bosses have also demanded full financial disclosure from the AFL.
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