Clubs and players were contacted today with a summary of the arrangements for a 'Priority Signing Period' as determined by the AFL.
Clubs and players also communicated a 'Sign and Trade Period' that will take place as a new CBA is being negotiated between the AFL and AFLPA.
KEY DATES
- Priority Signing Period (PSP): 1 March (9am) – 8 March (2pm)
- Sign and Trade Period: 10 March (9am) – 20 March (3pm)
Priority Signing Period
The number of PSP players a club can lose is capped and based on their finishing position post-finals in Season Seven:
- Clubs that finished 1st – 4th: no more than five players able to be lost through PSP
- Clubs that finished 5th – 8th: no more than two players able to be lost through PSP
- Clubs that finished 9th – 18th: no more than one player able to be lost through PSP
The AFLW List committee will determine any relevant compensation for clubs at the conclusion of the PSP.
Compensation will include draft picks to be used in the AFLW Draft leading into Season Nine of the AFLW. Any compensation will not be permitted to be traded in the Sign and Trade Period.
Sign and Trade Period
The sign and trade period will open at Friday 10 March at 9am and close on Monday 20 March at 3pm.
Clubs will pay players the pay rates from the existing CBA, with any potential changes applied retrospectively according to the ongoing CBA negotiations.
- Tier 1 players will receive $71,935
- Tier 2 players will receive $55,559
- Tier 3 players will receive $47,372
- Tier 4 players will receive $39,184
Clubs will not have to make a minimum number of list changes in the sign and trade period.
Further information regarding detailed timelines will be forthcoming.
"We’re pleased that we could reach an agreement with the AFLPA and provide our players and clubs with certainty before the next season of AFLW," AFL General Manager Women's Football Nicole Livingstone said.
AFLPA General Manager Player and Stakeholder Relations Brett Murphy said: "This agreement will provide certainty and security for players as we head towards Season Eight, enabling players and clubs to reach agreement and plan their return to training while broader CBA discussions remain ongoing."
