The AFL and AFL Players Association have reportedly come to a long-awaited agreement on the contents of the league's new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
While the drawn-out process has ignited frustration among both the Players Association and league circles, it seems a resolution has finally been reached.
The AFL and AFLPA have apparently come to terms on an in-principle deal to cement the new CBA, according to a Tuesday morning report byย SEN's Sam Edmund.
THE AFL and the AFLPA have reached an in-principle agreement on the new CBA. The player union will now take it to a player vote as per the final step in the process, but there's a significant pay increase for both sets of players. It's a transformational deal for the women, whoโฆ
— Sam Edmund (@Sammy__Edmund) September 11, 2023
After the Players Association sought a historic joint AFL-AFLW CBA, male players are set to undergo a $200,000 pay rise over the course of the next five seasons as part of the impending deal. Currently earning an average wage of $406,000, males will receive close to $600,000 per year on average by the year 2027; a 30 per cent increase.
Meanwhile, the AFLW minimum wage is slated to increase to $70,000 from $40,000 by 2026, representing a landmark deal for female players.
AFL clubs' salary caps and hard caps are also set to undergo increases, with football departments preparing to spend larger amounts on their coaching staff. The salary cap is expected to see a 12 per cent increase for 2023.
Prior to the formal finalisation of the new deal, the AFL's male and female players will take to voting.
The agreement's formal commencement is expected to see additional players starting to negotiate long-term contracts that take into account the new CBA's salary increases, while a number of already-signed deals include stipulations based on the impending introduction of the new CBA.
