AFLWs Forgotten Contracts
By Tahlia Sinclair
Comments
from Nicole Livingstone on Sunday in response to Bec Goddard’s criticism of the
AFLW has left a lot of opinions floating around the internet.
Specifically, I
was interested in her comments on the league’s ability to liaison with players
in relation to their “other jobs” and her apparent shifting of blame onto the
Brisbane Lions for Jess Wuetschner’s recent lightning strike.
It’s this exact separation
between players’ professional football and outside careers that is concerning.
This year saw Hayley Wildes
leave the Western Bulldogs to focus on a non-playing role she gained with
Melbourne United.
While Bella Ayre never quite hit her strides and set aside
footy to focus on her dream of being a police officer.
And there are so many
more stories of players retiring for work, or dual-sport players leaving the
AFLW for full-time professional contracts.
However, in all this talk
of players getting paid and what the AFL is or is not doing, there is a third
party we are too keen to forget about.
Players outside employers
are being asked more and more as we get deeper into the AFLW’s life.
Players
are, rightly, pressing for longer seasons, and the AFL has agreed to increase
the home and away season to nine games by 2022.
However, as the seasons lengthen,
so too does the time players are required to be absent from work.
In 2020 alone
players are taking up to 14-weeks unpaid leave to meet their AFLW obligations.
With most full-time workers
accruing just 4 weeks of leave annually, that leaves employers with workers
requesting up to ten weeks unpaid leave.
Now depending on a player’s occupation
and employer, it is reasonable to see why even the most supportive of
workplaces will become stretched to approve such a large leave of absence.
With players hailing from a
large range of industries the reality must be faced.
It is simply not
economical to hold an employee that consistently is unavailable for ten weeks a
year.
This problem is amplified for those working in industries in peak
operating season through the summer (tourism, public services, teachers).
Quickly the league will
have a significant problem on its hands, with the potential mass exodus of
players unable to meet club and work hour requirements.
There’s no easy path
towards full-time contracts for AFLW players.
Until the AFL commits to
monetising these games and using those earnings to help fund player contracts
we will continue to see players leave for more stable career options.
The unfortunate reality in
all this is that not every player in the AFLW has the privilege of earning more
through promotions and sponsorships such as those Chiocci, Brennan, and Pearce
are now accustomed to.
This is not a criticism of them, just a fact that places
them in a better financial position than many of their teammates.
Despite a mild increase in
pay year on year for AFLW players, if the system continues as it does today,
the financial impacts of playing AFLW will be noticed.
And if it doesn’t change
soon, the question will no longer be are you good enough to play, but can you
afford to.
Comments
from Nicole Livingstone on Sunday in response to Bec Goddard’s criticism of the
AFLW has left a lot of opinions floating around the internet.
Specifically, I
was interested in her comments on the league’s ability to liaison with players
in relation to their “other jobs” and her apparent shifting of blame onto the
Brisbane Lions for Jess Wuetschner’s recent lightning strike.
It’s this exact separation
between players’ professional football and outside careers that is concerning.
This year saw Hayley Wildes
leave the Western Bulldogs to focus on a non-playing role she gained with
Melbourne United.
While Bella Ayre never quite hit her strides and set aside
footy to focus on her dream of being a police officer.
And there are so many
more stories of players retiring for work, or dual-sport players leaving the
AFLW for full-time professional contracts.
However, in all this talk
of players getting paid and what the AFL is or is not doing, there is a third
party we are too keen to forget about.
Players outside employers
are being asked more and more as we get deeper into the AFLW’s life.
Players
are, rightly, pressing for longer seasons, and the AFL has agreed to increase
the home and away season to nine games by 2022.
However, as the seasons lengthen,
so too does the time players are required to be absent from work.
In 2020 alone
players are taking up to 14-weeks unpaid leave to meet their AFLW obligations.
With most full-time workers
accruing just 4 weeks of leave annually, that leaves employers with workers
requesting up to ten weeks unpaid leave.
Now depending on a player’s occupation
and employer, it is reasonable to see why even the most supportive of
workplaces will become stretched to approve such a large leave of absence.
With players hailing from a
large range of industries the reality must be faced.
It is simply not
economical to hold an employee that consistently is unavailable for ten weeks a
year.
This problem is amplified for those working in industries in peak
operating season through the summer (tourism, public services, teachers).
Quickly the league will
have a significant problem on its hands, with the potential mass exodus of
players unable to meet club and work hour requirements.
There’s no easy path
towards full-time contracts for AFLW players.
Until the AFL commits to
monetising these games and using those earnings to help fund player contracts
we will continue to see players leave for more stable career options.
The unfortunate reality in
all this is that not every player in the AFLW has the privilege of earning more
through promotions and sponsorships such as those Chiocci, Brennan, and Pearce
are now accustomed to.
This is not a criticism of them, just a fact that places
them in a better financial position than many of their teammates.
Despite a mild increase in
pay year on year for AFLW players, if the system continues as it does today,
the financial impacts of playing AFLW will be noticed.
And if it doesn’t change
soon, the question will no longer be are you good enough to play, but can you
afford to.
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