How a bloated AFL plans to streamline itself and shed hundreds of staff
There are big changes coming at footy’s head office. An internal paper reveals their plans to slash hundreds of jobs as it shifts towards the ‘new AFL’, that aims to prioritise ‘what is most important.’ SEE THE DOCUMENT
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Hundreds of AFL jobs will be slashed under a savage cost-cutting plan aimed at delivering a “leaner, faster, stronger and more focused” head office.
Leaked internal documents detail the league’s plan to streamline its bureaucracy and create what it has declared will be a “new AFL”.
The league has repeatedly refused to disclose how many staff it employs at its Docklands headquarters, but its workforce is believed to have soared beyond 600 before the COVID-19 crisis hit.
In a presentation to staff this week, AFL chiefs outlined a vision for a more “talented and empowered team of all-rounders” who were “collaborative, aligned and inspired by a shared purpose”.
“The necessity of operating differently has given us an incredible opportunity to understand what we can do and what we are capable of,” the internal document states.
“We want to rebound from this unprecedented time on the offence.
“Our new AFL will be … faster, agile, energised … and ruthlessly prioritise what’s most important.”
Hundreds of AFL staff have been stood down and many told they will be required to reapply for their positions and “pitch” their talents in the coming months.
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“We want to build the best possible team,” the document states.
“We need people from diverse backgrounds who have the required skill set, capability and experience and will thrive in the new AFL.
“We will have a leaner structure with less roles.
“Many roles will be impacted based on changes to what programs, products and services we continue, do differently or stop.
“While we will keep some specialist roles there will be more generalist roles – with multiple responsibilities.”
AFL staff wages topped $115.6 million last financial year, but an official headcount is no longer divulged in the league’s annual report filed with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.
The AFL operates about a dozen departments, including the office of the chief executive, football operations, game development, legal and integrity, commercial operations, corporate affairs, finance and broadcasting, infrastructure, major projects and investment, inclusion and social policy, AFL Media, strategy and human resources.
The league’s 12-person executive team pocketed $10.56 million in combined salaries last year, an average of $880,000.
It is unclear whether the AFL commission will move to slash the executive ranks.
The AFL says staff who are continuing to work have taken a minimum 20 per cent cut, while others are earning 40-60 per cent less.
Staff were told this week that the AFL – a not-for-profit organisation which does not pay tax – would be cutting its own costs by up to 40 per cent as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
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AFL clubs can pay female, Indigenous staff outside slashed footy department soft cap
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Originally published as How a bloated AFL plans to streamline itself and shed hundreds of staff
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