The AFL and its Players' Association have reportedly held discussions this week in regards to implementing a mid-season trade period as early as the 2024 season, with the league understood to be pushing for the secondary signing and player movement window.
The AFL's current player exchange space only runs through the trade period and free agency window - often dated in October for a total of two weeks.
Clubs are able to sign uncontracted players through delisted free agency and the pre-season Supplemental Selection Period, while several draft mechanisms are now available with the National, Rookie, Mid-Season and Pre-Season Drafts all forming the AFL recruitment calendar.
The option to trade players between AFL clubs is limited to the 10-day off-season trade period, with the league and a percentage of its fans and players all seen to be open to a mid-year trade space that could benefit all parties.
In the opening month of this season, Collingwood coach Craig McRae supported the idea of introducing mid-season trading as the Magpies were forced to call on out-of-position payers to fill their ruck void, which was opened due to an array of injuries.
Last month Brisbane star Josh Dunkley revealed he would be open to the AFL implementing a trade period during the season given the level of talent that may not be required at one club but would be attractive to another.
"There's a lot of players that sit under the wings of teams that could be playing elsewhere," Dunkley toldย AFL.com.au.
"If it's a fair competition for all those players to get the most out of themselves and their career, potentially it's something they should look at."
According toย The Herald Sun,ย the AFL are determined to add a mid-season trade space for the 2024 season, with the league and the AFLPA having held recent CBA talks.
AFL boss Gillon McLachlan, CEO-elect Andrew Dillon and AFLPA chief Paul Marsh were in discussions on Monday to continue the drawn-out negotiations, with the league and its Players' Association still yet to see eye-to-eye on an agreeable cut for players.
Within those discussions, the league is said to have raised plans to introduce a mid-season trade period, with the AFLPA likely to be in agreeance under the terms that players can't be traded without their consent.
Dillon recently toldย AFL.com.auย that the league has weighed up the idea of clubs being able to move on players to other clubs forcibly, with any mechanism of the sort likely to rely on intricate parameters and strict conditions.
"If it was going to happen I think there would be tight parameters around it, as in players would have to have a long period of time on their contract, they'd have to be over a certain amount earning. We'll have discussions with the AFLPA," Dillon said.
It is not yet clear how long a mid-season trade window would be open for, or if it would come alongside the Mid-Season Draft - which is often held between late May and early June.
