The Australian Football League will be extended until December and the football players have said that they will be taking a 50 percent pay cut until May 31st. This announcement has come after the coronavirus outbreak. It wasn’t easy to get to this agreement regarding the payment of the players. There was a lot of bitterness before an agreement was reached on Friday between league officials and players representatives.
As per the agreement whether there is a crowd or not, if the matches do not resume after 31st May, then the fees will increase to 70 % otherwise will stay at 50% if games are played after the said date. This time it will be a reduced 17-round season. The grand finale will be held later in the last weekend in September.
Players representative Paul Marsh has said that COVID-19 in Australia has impacted the whole community and the football industry drastically. Players understand this and are shaken by the consequences of the virus. They want to play a role to make sure that the game comes through these times strong and united and that’s the reason they moved quickly to make an agreement with the AFL. He mentioned that the result and decision is fair.
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan also expressed the same sentiment while mentioning that he, himself has taken a 50 percent pay cut in solidarity with the league’s almost 800 players that are spread over 18 clubs. He said it is tough time for everyone in the world and Football has also been hit. Nonetheless everyone has to come together to get through this crisis. And he appreciated the players who have understood the gravity of the times and taken such a significant pay cut to keep the industry going.
