Leigh Matthews calls for 50 per cent pay rise for AFL players and slams how much executives make

Legendary footballer Leigh Matthews has slammed the pay disparity between AFL footballers and league executives, saying it’s ‘ridiculous’ that players aren’t paid more.

Footy legend Leigh Matthews has called for a 50 per cent pay rise for players, slamming the huge cash differential between the on-field stars and the AFL executives as “ridiculous”.

Last year the average AFL player salary hit $406,105 – a long way short of the $11.8 million dollars paid to the league’s nine senior executives.

While the average executive wage of $1.3 million would’ve been inflated by chief executive Gillon McLachlan’s sizeable but secret contract, only 12 superstars across the competition earned seven figures last year.

Matthews urged the AFL Players’ Association to prioritise player payments over all other negotiables at the ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement discussions.

Leigh Matthews wants the players paid more.

“They’re there to negotiate the best possible deal to be paid by the participants,” Matthews, who the AFLPA’s MVP trophy is named after, told 3AW on Saturday.

“Now it seems to me, and it’s been happening for a while now, that they (AFLPA) get screwed all the time, in my view, by the AFL.

“We know the men’s competition earns 90 per cent of the revenues of the game. Currently, the salary cap is 28 per cent of that.

“I mean, seriously. Where in world sport would the players be getting about a third of what they earn in their wages?

“If players got paid a lot more money when they played, the risks (concussion) that they take … is more palatable.

Matthews in front of his statue. Picture: Jason Edwards

“I mean, we know the average is $400,000. Say you played for 10 years and average $400,000, well you might end your career with a little bit of savings.

“But you’re not going to not have to work for the rest of your life and you’ve got to start a new career.”

Matthews did clarify that no amount of money was worth brain damage – but went on to laugh at the mooted pay model that would see players pocket 32 per cent of the game’s income under the next CBA.

“The other thing you hear all the time is the AFL have got plenty of money, and the AFL administration – probably the top 10 people at the AFL – get paid about as much as the top 10 players do,” Matthews said.

“I mean that’s ridiculous.

“On what the game is earning and what the TV rights are, for instance, just as an example, then players should be getting close enough to 50 per cent more.”

THE FOUR BIZARRE SCENARIOS IN LEAKED AFL GAMBLING CRACKDOWN

The AFL has banned hundreds of employees from tipping competitions and any form of lighthearted social bets under an extreme update of its gambling policy.

League executive Andrew Dillon wrote to staff to tell them they had until Thursday to withdraw from family and office tipping competitions.

Even the humble bet of shouting a mate a coffee over the result of a match is off-limits under the strict edict that applies to all staff in the football, legal and integrity units at the AFL.

The memo, which was leaked to the Herald Sun, stated: “After a recent review of the (gambling) policy, all team members in Football, Legal & Integrity will have new policy expectations regarding gambling / betting effective immediately”.

Umpires were told that anyone working in the AFL, AFLW, VFL, VFLW, Coates Boys and Girls (formerly NAB League) and national championships cannot be involved “in any bet associated with a Sherrin football”.

That means an umpire in a Coates under-16 boys or girls match would be banned from having a coffee bet with a friend on the winner of a round 1 AFL match.

Social bets have been banned under the new rules for AFL staff.

The email outlined four examples:

1) A VFL umpire can not place a bet on an AFLW game, even though they do not umpire in this competition as it involves a Sherrin football / an Australian rules football match;

2) A casual AFL trainer also works full-time at David Jones in Brisbane. David Jones is running an online staff footy competition across all their stores and head office teams – the AFL trainer is not permitted to participate in the David Jones staff footy competition as it involves Australian Rules Football (AFL);

3) A goal umpire coach can not have a coffee bet with their best friend from high school that Richmond will beat Essendon in this year’s Dreamtime game;

4) If you have already joined any of newly prohibited tipping competitions / bets, can you please contact the organiser to cancel your entry/involvement before next Thursday 16 March 2023?

All AFL and club employees have long been banned from gambling on football, but this year extra layers have been added to those closely connected to the game.

Former umpire Michael Pell had his contract terminated after a Brownlow betting scandal.

The hypersensitive crackdown comes off the back of last year’s Brownlow Medal betting scandal and widespread claims the AFL is too close to gambling companies.

The Herald Sun is aware of multiple employees who have recently received letters from the league’s integrity unit over potential betting breaches.

One of those emails, sent by the AFL’s Senior People Business Partner Amy Adams, read:

“As part of the most recent audit, you have been identified as a team member who may have placed a bet on an Australian Rules Football contingency, which if substantiated would be a breach of the AFL People Gambling Policy.

“Please find attached the following:

● A letter outlining the details of the alleged breach, next steps including an opportunity to respond and support details;

● The details of the alleged gambling activity identified in this audit: and

● The version of the AFL Gambling Policy that was applicable.”

It’s understood the AFL has long kept a close eye on certain employees, such as timekeepers, but now appears to be policing far more broadly.

One former casual employee who no longer works for the AFL also received a letter because he was still on the books.

An AFL spokesperson told the Herald Sun: “The AFL annually reviews and updates as appropriate all policies and procedures and this includes all the various stakeholders that have an official role in football, including AFL team members, accredited officials, and members of the media.

“The AFL considers it important that all team members and accredited officials are clear on their responsibilities.”

Originally published as Leigh Matthews calls for 50 per cent pay rise for AFL players and slams how much executives make