http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/the-afl-owes-women-so-much-more-20161015-gs35j1.html

The hashtag #bootsoff is to draw attention to the measly pay for female players in the AFWL.  For most it is $5,000 for the whole season!  It is difficult to argue with this: "Every woman playing in the AFL Women's first season should, as a base rate, be paid the Australian minimum full-time wage for their training and playing period November to the end of March – which would amount to about $14,500."   Even that is a trifling amount, in my book.  Nonetheless it would be an improvement.

So, no-one is saying they should be paid what the male AFL players earn.  Far from it!  But to be paid less than the minimum wage is just wrong! 

The article draws attention to what women playing professionally in other sports, earn:

• Under Netball Australia's new pay deal, players in the domestic competition earn a minimum wage of $27,370 and an average of $67,500
• The NSW women's cricket team will earn at least the minimum wage of $35,000

The AFL recently announced a major sponsorship of the AFWL by NAB.  Where will this money go?  The AFL should be ashamed to ask players to pay for their boots and health insurance from the measly $5,000.

So AFL do the right thing, otherwise one wonders whether all this is just tokenism and an opportunity to get some good PR and for the AFL to feel warm and fuzzy.  Well, that PR may quickly turn south if they don't rectify this pay problem!!

#bootsoff

 

What a disgrace on the above journalist and the perpetually offended who think it is underpayment.

I'm largely critical of the AFL but i think it is fantastic they are promoting the womens game.

Rome wasn't built in a day.

1 hour ago, Wrecker45 said:

What a disgrace on the above journalist and the perpetually offended who think it is underpayment.

I'm largely critical of the AFL but i think it is fantastic they are promoting the womens game.

Rome wasn't built in a day.

A third of minimum wage for many of the players is a horrid outcome. 

Fantastic that they're promoting the womens game of course, but  paying them sweet FA is not at all fair. The AFL can afford to at least meet the minimum wage requirements.

2 hours ago, Wrecker45 said:

What a disgrace on the above journalist and the perpetually offended who think it is underpayment.

I'm largely critical of the AFL but i think it is fantastic they are promoting the womens game.

Rome wasn't built in a day.

'perpetually offended'?

Tell me, how does the AFL women's league make any progress to professionalism if they are being paid less than a backpacker without a work permit?

Or, to put it another way, if an entire women's AFL team gets paid less (after also covering their own insurance and gear) than a single average AFL male player?

It's basic practicality. Or do you only water plants after they've grown?

Why should they get paid more?

Tell me how much do you think non AFL listed players in the VFL & SANFL get paid weekly?Granted the better ones get paid more but plenty of 20 yr old men earning a couple hundred $$$ a game & all of them would walk over every female player.

If they get crowds & sponsors then they pay there wage but until then they deserve nothing more than amateur men 

8 hours ago, Demon from Sydney said:

Why should they get paid more?

Tell me how much do you think non AFL listed players in the VFL & SANFL get paid weekly?Granted the better ones get paid more but plenty of 20 yr old men earning a couple hundred $$$ a game & all of them would walk over every female player.

If they get crowds & sponsors then they pay there wage but until then they deserve nothing more than amateur men 

The womens league/teams are already bringing money into the game:  NAB is the major naming rights sponsor of the AFWL.  I read an article recently where sponsors are falling over themselves to sponsor the teams.  http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/afl-2016-the-great-contradiction-pay-no-good-but-pies-bat-away-womens-sponsors-20161011-grzo58.html   http://www.smartcompany.com.au/marketing/74798-sports-marketing-new-ball-game-brands-flock-afl-womens-league/Then there are television rights income to be factored in.  I'd be very surprised if the income from all these do not cover the whole AFWL payroll for the 10 teams, of about $1.5m several times over.

And if crowds were the measuring stick for player wages there are many AFL male teams/players that would not get paid for much of the year. 

The main point is players should have the same rights as any other employee in our country - be paid the minimum wage and have their tools of trade paid for.

If it was your daughter/sister/wife in one of the teams what would you want for them?

Typical social justice types joining a useless social media campaign when you don't hear any of the players complaining. 

Talk of things like minimum wage are a joke. Same with comparisons to men's wages. That the league is set up to be run professionally doesn't mean the players have to be paid to any standard. $5000 is a lot for doing the training and playing games in the sport they all play anyway.

There are professional athletes in Olympic sports and thousands of other elite athletes earning barely enough to survive. That's hardly a new thing.

As Demon fans we should be the last to drive a higher wage campaign. Sorry ladies but we aren't Collingwood and we can't afford to outlay millions of dollars before there's even a product to get some return. 

I'd like to see the minimum salary rise to at least 8k (1000 per game) and I think it will, but also don't think the AFL and clubs have done anything wrong by starting small. Find me some players complaining or refusing to enter the draft and I might change my mind. Not a bunch of Greens politicians taking off their shoes.

 

The women's league has just been born.

Like any fledgling pro sport the more the game grows the more dollars there are.

The market will determine the remuneration.  That is the system.

I hope the women's league does well and that it can thrive without paternalistic charity.

 

 

12 hours ago, DeeSpencer said:

Typical social justice types joining a useless social media campaign when you don't hear any of the players complaining. 

Talk of things like minimum wage are a joke. Same with comparisons to men's wages. That the league is set up to be run professionally doesn't mean the players have to be paid to any standard. $5000 is a lot for doing the training and playing games in the sport they all play anyway.

There are professional athletes in Olympic sports and thousands of other elite athletes earning barely enough to survive. That's hardly a new thing.

As Demon fans we should be the last to drive a higher wage campaign. Sorry ladies but we aren't Collingwood and we can't afford to outlay millions of dollars before there's even a product to get some return. 

I'd like to see the minimum salary rise to at least 8k (1000 per game) and I think it will, but also don't think the AFL and clubs have done anything wrong by starting small. Find me some players complaining or refusing to enter the draft and I might change my mind. Not a bunch of Greens politicians taking off their shoes.

 

Excellent post

On 10/15/2016 at 8:27 PM, Luther said:

A third of minimum wage for many of the players is a horrid outcome. 

Fantastic that they're promoting the womens game of course, but  paying them sweet FA is not at all fair. The AFL can afford to at least meet the minimum wage requirements.

Is it their full time job? Do they work a full working week or year? What a ridiculous comparison.

My cousin plays for a country league where he gets paid but doesn't earn the minimum wage either. He sees it as a bonus on top of his income.

On 10/15/2016 at 9:21 PM, Little Goffy said:

'perpetually offended'?

Tell me, how does the AFL women's league make any progress to professionalism if they are being paid less than a backpacker without a work permit?

Or, to put it another way, if an entire women's AFL team gets paid less (after also covering their own insurance and gear) than a single average AFL male player?

It's basic practicality. Or do you only water plants after they've grown?

The women's league makes progress by being inaugurated into the AFL. Massive tick to the AFL for once.

It is the perpetually offended who can't see this.

It is not small progress, it is a giant step. But hey lets get offended by it. 

How much do the women get paid to play at present, in what is a longer season and therefore a bigger commitment?

How much did the men get paid when the VFA and the VFL were first formed?

How much do other top sports people in low profile sports get paid?

It is only a generation ago that most VFL/AFL players had a full time job, and football was a part time gig. Only the select few would have made life changing money from the game.

Nobody is putting a gun to their heads and forcing them to play. The women choose to play, and they know what the costs and benefits are going in to it.

In time, if the competition is a success, I'm sure the players will share the spoils. Until that time, baby steps are required.

I think it's great that the women's league is getting off the ground, but it is also seriously over hyped.

The remuneration does need to be at a level which is:

1. Self funding and;

2. Sustainable;

Yes there are these reports of sponsors falling over them selfs, but what has not been publicised is how much they are actually willing to fork out.  Also it's great to look at the cost of paying the players, but what about the costs of:

* Coaches;

* Medical staff;

* Airfares anaccommodation for interstate games;

* Umpires.

Further, whist I understand the women's game rated very well on a weekend where there was no senior AFL football, I can see it struggling to attract the sort of ratings that would actually justify broadcasting it on a more regular basis.

Coming from a generation where it is OK to descriminate against males on the basis of their sex, I've had an absolute gutfull of all the bleating from some in the women's movement.

24 minutes ago, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

I think it's great that the women's league is getting off the ground, but it is also seriously over hyped.

The remuneration does need to be at a level which is:

1. Self funding and;

2. Sustainable;

Yes there are these reports of sponsors falling over them selfs, but what has not been publicised is how much they are actually willing to fork out.  Also it's great to look at the cost of paying the players, but what about the costs of:

* Coaches;

* Medical staff;

* Airfares anaccommodation for interstate games;

* Umpires.

Further, whist I understand the women's game rated very well on a weekend where there was no senior AFL football, I can see it struggling to attract the sort of ratings that would actually justify broadcasting it on a more regular basis.

Coming from a generation where it is OK to descriminate against males on the basis of their sex, I've had an absolute gutfull of all the bleating from some in the women's movement.

Exactly. Can't wait for the women's game to do well. The Dees have a team and Daisy is the poster girl of women's football. I will support it financially and with bums on seats . But let's not get upset about wages when the AFL is bringing in an avenue for women to get paid for the first time ever.

Again I will say it is the perpetually offended who are offended by this.

Interesting seeing people making these pretty passionate arguments for closing down the Melbourne Football Club.

4 hours ago, Wrecker45 said:

Is it their full time job? Do they work a full working week or year?

I read somewhere they they will be training 8 or 9 hours a week. So depending on how long the season and their preseason is someone might be able to work out the hourly wage

17 hours ago, Redbeard said:

I read somewhere they they will be training 8 or 9 hours a week. So depending on how long the season and their preseason is someone might be able to work out the hourly wage

Lets also work out the hours all these women have spent training and playing football previously. As far as I know Daisy is the first female footballer to be paid. So on that assumption $0 paid to every player in the league so far (besides Daisy). Whatever they get in the future is great for women's football. If in 5 years time sponsorship and tv rights justify a pay rise I will be the first to protest for it. 

Call for minimum wage at least not unreasonable IMO.

On 17/10/2016 at 0:51 PM, Wrecker45 said:

Is it their full time job? Do they work a full working week or year? What a ridiculous comparison.

My cousin plays for a country league where he gets paid but doesn't earn the minimum wage either. He sees it as a bonus on top of his income.

Rubbish comment.

If you work more than one job would you expect to be paid 1/3 of minimum wage for the second one?

Silly.

And comparing the women's version of the AFL to a country league? You're out of touch and clueless.

 

 

On 17/10/2016 at 2:11 PM, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

I think it's great that the women's league is getting off the ground, but it is also seriously over hyped.

The remuneration does need to be at a level which is:

1. Self funding and;

2. Sustainable;

Yes there are these reports of sponsors falling over them selfs, but what has not been publicised is how much they are actually willing to fork out.  Also it's great to look at the cost of paying the players, but what about the costs of:

* Coaches;

* Medical staff;

* Airfares anaccommodation for interstate games;

* Umpires.

Further, whist I understand the women's game rated very well on a weekend where there was no senior AFL football, I can see it struggling to attract the sort of ratings that would actually justify broadcasting it on a more regular basis.

Coming from a generation where it is OK to descriminate against males on the basis of their sex, I've had an absolute gutfull of all the bleating from some in the women's movement.

Read this champ.

"It was the largest overall average audience in Melbourne of any game during the 2016 home and away season.

The previous best was the St Kilda-Geelong match in round 14, which drew an average audience of 347,000 viewers, while the Essendon-Richmond Dreamtime at the 'G clash in round 10 nabbed an average of 331,000."

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-09-04/womens-allstars-game-a-ratings-smash

"Over hyped" hey?

 

On 17/10/2016 at 2:40 PM, Wrecker45 said:

Exactly. Can't wait for the women's game to do well. The Dees have a team and Daisy is the poster girl of women's football. I will support it financially and with bums on seats . But let's not get upset about wages when the AFL is bringing in an avenue for women to get paid for the first time ever.

Again I will say it is the perpetually offended who are offended by this.

Yeah those sheila's should be just glad we finally let them have the vote too hey?!.....

FMD.

 

22 minutes ago, stuie said:

Read this champ.

"It was the largest overall average audience in Melbourne of any game during the 2016 home and away season.

The previous best was the St Kilda-Geelong match in round 14, which drew an average audience of 347,000 viewers, while the Essendon-Richmond Dreamtime at the 'G clash in round 10 nabbed an average of 331,000."

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-09-04/womens-allstars-game-a-ratings-smash

"Over hyped" hey?

 

It was a one off 'stuie'.

Lets wait and see how the figures look at the end of their 2017 season.

1 hour ago, rjay said:

It was a one off 'stuie'.

Lets wait and see how the figures look at the end of their 2017 season.

Your common sense is not welcome here rjay. 

1 hour ago, rjay said:

It was a one off 'stuie'.

Lets wait and see how the figures look at the end of their 2017 season.

And no one is saying that because of it they should be paid the same as the blokes YET, but 1/3 of minimum wage for what will be a NAB sponsored league that has proven TV appeal is a farce. Common sense says that.

 

On 15/10/2016 at 6:50 PM, Wrecker45 said:

Rome wasn't built in a day.

 

On 15/10/2016 at 10:31 PM, Demon from Sydney said:

Tell me how much do you think non AFL listed players in the VFL & SANFL get paid weekly?

 

On 16/10/2016 at 2:07 PM, DeeSpencer said:

There are professional athletes in Olympic sports and thousands of other elite athletes earning barely enough to survive. That's hardly a new thing.

 

On 16/10/2016 at 7:39 PM, Stretch Johnson said:

The women's league has just been born.

Like any fledgling pro sport the more the game grows the more dollars there are.

The market will determine the remuneration.  That is the system.

 

On 17/10/2016 at 0:51 PM, Wrecker45 said:

My cousin plays for a country league where he gets paid but doesn't earn the minimum wage either.

 

On 17/10/2016 at 1:00 PM, poita said:

How much did the men get paid when the VFA and the VFL were first formed?

 

On 17/10/2016 at 2:11 PM, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

I think it's great that the women's league is getting off the ground, but it is also seriously over hyped.

The remuneration does need to be at a level which is:

1. Self funding and;

2. Sustainable;

 

"It is significantly less than netballers playing in the new national league next year, who will earn a minimum wage of $27,375 and an average salary of $67,500."

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/new-name-for-afl-womens-league-pay-negotiations-continue-20160915-grhdfj.html

There goes your arguments then old blokes.