Football in Australia is set for a revolutionary shake up in a bid to cement its place as a truly elite sport on the global stage.
Under the terms of a groundbreaking five-year agreement between Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) and the Australian Professional Leagues, announced today, the sport will receive widespread investment, both on and off the field, in a bid to create a truly “world-class workplace” for athletes in the A-League and W-League.
The two bodies have worked closely together to come up with a strategy which they feel will improve playing standards and gender equality for the nation’s football players as the game seeks to enter a new era of success and sustainability.
Coinciding with the league’s new five-year broadcast deal with ViacomCBS and Network 10, the CBA will introduce unprecedented high performance and medical standards across the leagues and a swathe contract reforms to allow increased investment in playing squads.
WHAT ARE THE CHANGES?
- Significantly enhanced high performance standards, including training venues, travel and accommodation, high performance staffing and player workloads, with gender equality embedded;
- 32% increase in the W-League Salary Cap Floor over the course of the agreement, with capacity to increase through annual reviews;
- An immediate increase in the A-League Salary Cap Floor, while ensuring incremental increases in the Salary Cap over the first three years to $2.6M ahead of a mid-term review;
- The introduction of up to two ‘Designated Players’ allowing clubs to invest between $300,000 and $600,000 in players whose salaries will be excluded from the A-League Salary Cap, while maintaining other exemptions such as Marquee Players;
- Incremental increases to the W-League and A-League minimum wages;
- Greater capacity for clubs to contract and invest in youth following the increase in the cap on scholarship players;
- Guaranteed funding for player welfare and development programs and support for the PFA Past Players Program.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
PFA Co-Chief Executive Kathryn Gill said:
“The players’ vision for the negotiations was economic security and stability for the clubs, the leagues and the players. This agreement is a foundational step towards this objective and our leagues will be stronger as a result.
“It has been an incredibly challenging time for our game; however, we believe the CBA will provide a platform for our leagues to be re-launched and for a genuine partnership between the clubs and the players to be forged.
“I would like to acknowledge the work of Greg O’Rourke, Danny Townsend, Tracey Scott, Chris Pehlivanis and John Tsatsimas for their efforts and commitment during the negotiations and especially the players who participated so actively throughout.”
Danny Townsend, Managing Director of APL, said:
“When APL took control of the leagues, we promised it would herald a new era of investment and this agreement shows the progress that has already been made.
“This is a clear example of what can be achieved when we work together with a common vision to realise the potential of Australian football.”
Greg O’Rourke, Leagues Commissioner of APL, said:
“Players are partners with us in the game and central to its growth. Having all of our partners on-board with the re-imagined future of the game is vital, and this agreement marks an important milestone in our new relationship.
“There will be immediate improvements across the men’s and women’s leagues, most notably for women’s football, all of which will flow through into improved experiences for players, and ultimately into growing and improving our game.”
PFA President Alex Wilkinson said:
“This generation of players, club owners and staff have been asked to make immense sacrifices to preserve our sport during unprecedented times.
“As a result of these sacrifices we have been able to take an important step forward and provide greater certainty for the clubs and players and make important progress in areas such as our high performance environment, player welfare whilst further embedding our commitment to gender equity.”
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
After years of uncertainty and dwindling interest in the domestic game, these new investments provide a much needed shot in the arm for football in Australia.
The APL have been incredibly vocal in their ambitions since taking over control of the competitions from Football Australia, but this announcement represents our first concrete look at how they intend to reinvigorate the sport and lead in triumphantly in to a brighter future.
The increased investment and an attempt to bring parity to the women’s game, which in recent years has arguably been the true star of the show in Australian football will be welcomed, and should provide a further boost to the recent announcement of the impending W-League expansion.
The increased capacity for clubs to contract and invest in youth should help build on recent successes in youth development, and allow both parties to enjoy a greater sense of security.
But the biggest takeaway from today’s announcement will undoubtedly be the immediate increase in the A-League salary cap and the confirmation of the rumoured addition of an MLS style ‘Designated Player’ rule.
It’s been almost ten years since Alessandro Del Piero touched down in Australia, and it’s fair to say that there have been more misses than hits when it comes to the A-League’s Marquee players over the years, so hopefully this new tier of investment will help a higher calibre of player to ply their trade in the Australian game.
This, coupled with the promised investment in high performance standards, should drastically increase club’s ‘pulling power’ when it comes to not only attracting high calibre talent but also will go a long way to ensuring the retention of the league’s most promising players who might otherwise have their heads turned by the promise of greater riches and facilities in other leagues.
While there is much work still to be done, this announcement certainly looks to breathe new life in to a sport which has been left downtrodden and stagnant after years of maltreatment from various parties, and provides the perfect foundation of which the APL can build their bright new future for Australian football.
Image Supplied: Getty