"I think the players have a responsibility." ---- Nick Riewoldt

Reports: AFL players facing 20 per cent pay cut in 2020

Should players take a pay cut in 2020?

So they should. There is going to be massive job loses everywhere and significant pay cuts. They shouldn’t be immune to this. 

I think the players should take some sort of pay cut for the duration. As should the AFL executives. 

If this season is going to go ahead in it's mooted form, All AFL people will need to make some sacrifices, as the State leagues have already had to. 

Maxy's Jovial Solution:

"What we're going to do is we're going to corner Steven May and Jake Lever and just obviously show them the amount of games they've played because they've got their money and hope they'll be able to help out a few of the younger boys," he joked.

"That's what we're going to do."

On a more serious note, he said: "I don't think the AFL players have necessarily agreed to a pay cut yet, which is the vibe I was getting, but I understand it'll be all hands on deck if we do lose some money here."

I'm not sure the players will get a choice if there aren't any games or it's a reduced season.

Are their contracts that watertight?  If businesses close down employees can access holiday pay etc but when that runs out employers wouldn't be obliged to keep paying their employees if they weren't required to come to work

The same conditions would apply to footy as footy is classed as another workplace like any other business.

Many other people in the entertainment industry will simply lose their income if their industry is shut down or partly shut down.

The AFLPA fought for and won a larger share of  revenue in their current CBA, and now that the future good of the game is at stake, they should share some of the pain.   Surely it must work both ways.

expect lay offs in club land shortly as the AFL will have to postponed the season before Thursday. 

The only real solution around at the moment is to quarantine all the players/club staff and player games at a remote location, effectively for TV only. 

Otherwise the comp won't go ahead as it has a duty of care and if 1 player gets infected they could expose everyone.

 

The NRL don't have the luxury of being able to sustain a missed/suspended season like the AFL could, note it won't be easy but this is looking like a reality! 

 

 

Can we pass the hat around to ensure we can keep Darren Burgess on the books in the event of a season-long stand-down? 

9 minutes ago, Skuit said:

Can we pass the hat around to ensure we can keep Darren Burgess on the books in the event of a season-long stand-down? 

He's got nowhere to go to Skuit unless he wants to work for a club in the Ukranian League  ?

Edited March 17, 20205 yr by Macca

7 hours ago, Dee Watcher said:

expect lay offs in club land shortly as the AFL will have to postponed the season before Thursday. 

The only real solution around at the moment is to quarantine all the players/club staff and player games at a remote location, effectively for TV only. 

Otherwise the comp won't go ahead as it has a duty of care and if 1 player gets infected they could expose everyone.

Agree in part DW but this talk about this so-called 1 player being infected is along the lines of that player being expendable.  And I'm not saying that that is your opinion either.  I'm largely agreeing with the crux of your argument but I'd postpone the season start if it were up to me.

It wouldn't be 1 player only anyway ... if a player tests positive to the virus then that player will have been exposed to any number of other people within his own club.  Who then expose others.  Family members,  grandparents et al.

And if games have been played then the virus could easily have been transmitted to a player from another club where the process is repeated. 

This virus is highly contageous so to think that only 1 singular person will be the end of it is just not going to be the logical conclusion.  1 could = 100 and if that happens then the playing of games could be seen as an irresponsible act. 

Why take the risk when the harder decision is to just go without - that won't kill anyone but the virus might.

Sport is a non essential activity where as working for a living and travelling to and from work is essential.  Although that could all change as well. 

Edited March 17, 20205 yr by Macca

They never ask this question.about management. 
Chop chop.

1 minute ago, deefender said:

They never ask this question.about management. 
Chop chop.

I think Gill has indicated that he'll take a cut, he has to do. 

No issues with the players holding out at this stage. Why volunteer to get less? Agreeing to 20% less for 20% games on it's own is fair enough but when you could lose 50, 80 or 100% of the season it's a dangerous precedent to agree to. 

On the eve of a season that may or may not start this week, the AFL players have pushed back against a league request for a 20 per cent pay cut >>>> AFL players baulk at 20 per cent pay cuts

$50 million of player salary cuts up for grabs. But player agents upset their players are painted as greedy. Say they acknowledge they need to take cuts. The 22-round claim was more about volunteering to give up their leave to get in a full year.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/afl-daily-rolling-footy-news-from-across-australia-for-tuesday-march-17-2020/live-coverage/b7999741d8ca6331e115a0d98b26551d 

At this point I'd argue that anyone who is going to be 'okay' during this should be putting their mind towards how to help the very large part of the community that is going to be very, very hard.

Got a spare room?  Someone you know or a friend of a friend is going to need it because I fear it'll be a pretty slim minority of landlords prepared to offer meaningful amounts of rent relief.  Even offering some garage space as storage will help people who need to move but can't afford to secure a place.

Got cash on hand? Someone you know or a friend of a friend is going to be facing an actual zero dollars crisis as they can't afford even the costs of ending a lease so have to push through and hope.

As for the players... a 20% cut should be the start point of their thinking, not the target.  Scaled to the extremity of their pay, of course.

More than a millions Australian have already 'taken' well over 20% pay cuts, many already down to just 20% remaining of their pay.

All of us, anyone who is doing okay, needs to be actively looking for ways to help.

This is a once-in-a-century event, if you can't be generous now, what are you?

Whilst anyone would jump up and down about taking a pay cut and naturally so....the players are on ridiculous money compared to the average Australian worker.

I know they are paid in accordance to their occupation, but there are businesses out there that will simply not survive as a result of this and in-turn employees that will not get paid at all.

These guys have it good, let’s face it. Yes they train hard and we get that. But man...getting paid big bucks to play a sport, afforded the luxury of living in premium suburbs whilst being able to travel the world on your time away from your job with ample leave?

You’d like to think some perspective might come into this and the players would be prepared to take a small hit for one year of their sporting life, for the betterment of the game..

But then again..these are different times.

The AFLPA once again show that they are living on a completely different planet from the rest of us. I'd argue that player (and coach) salaries should be capped at $200K per annum until this situation resolves itself.

Given that membership and sponsorship dollars pay for a significant portion of player wages and both will be hugely impacted over the next few years, I can't see how clubs can survive unless they can massively reduce wages. In an environment in which there will be massive job losses, surely the players can't continue to hold out their hands for their massive pay packets.

We could still play a 22 game season, just over a longer timeframe than normal. If the players want to play 22 games, let them.

I don't think the players and the AFLPA realised that this narrative was never going to be in their favour. When they were negotiating a few years ago, the AFL were painted as the bad guys, but in this instance it's going to be the players that will be painted in a bad light.

They have dramatically miss-read the mood of this situation. For a lot of people at the moment, AFL footy is far from their minds. These same people are now seeing the players hold out on a potential pay cut while they struggle to keep their jobs.

The AFL CEO has also agreed to take a pay cut, making the players look worse. Many staff at clubs are going to lose their jobs, and maybe when the players realise there are far fewer people at clubland in the coming weeks and months, their eyes may be opened, but if they hold out for pay now, there will be a lot of people disgruntled with them.

PS. Don't buy into the wanting to play 22 games for the good of the game; it's a smoke-screen for their real agenda, this is all about maintaining their wage and not having to take a pay cut. If the season doesn't go ahead, they could lose a hell of a lot more than 20%, I wonder if the players realise this?

Why don’t the clubs just divide each of the players salary by the number of normal games 22 then deduct the value of 5 games being a 17 game season from their wage. 
 

IMO that seems fair. 
 

Personally I would take a pay cut rather than lose my job if I had to. 

There is a lot of pain to come for everyone. Footballers included. 

It is a war and sacrifices are going to be made by all. Sure everyone is affected differently given wealth and health factors but everyone is going to be affected. 

Football is an optional extra, not essential to life and wellbeing. 

Season should be cancelled soon. The season is not going to happen and the sooner the decision is made the better.  Read Dr Peter Larkins this morning. Footballers are going to contract the virus. 

1 hour ago, hemingway said:

There is a lot of pain to come for everyone. Footballers included. 

It is a war and sacrifices are going to be made by all. Sure everyone is affected differently given wealth and health factors but everyone is going to be affected. 

Football is an optional extra, not essential to life and wellbeing. 

Season should be cancelled soon. The season is not going to happen and the sooner the decision is made the better.  Read Dr Peter Larkins this morning. Footballers are going to contract the virus. 

Yes but they won't be struck Down like the old and vulnerable with the disease!

Msny like Dutton will say they are fine !

Naturally they will have to quarantine as we must do if they contract the virus 

Csnt imagine many 22yo sportspersons adapting to Self isolation Can you?

Hard times for all the population throughout the world fit the next 3/4 months at least it appears.

2 hours ago, 58er said:

Yes but they won't be struck Down like the old and vulnerable with the disease!

Msny like Dutton will say they are fine !

Naturally they will have to quarantine as we must do if they contract the virus 

Csnt imagine many 22yo sportspersons adapting to Self isolation Can you?

Hard times for all the population throughout the world fit the next 3/4 months at least it appears.

 

PlayStation , XBox and video game sales are about to go through the roof.    They will all  be spewing their new generation consoles arent coming out now.