The AFLW's highest earners will have their income capped in an updated change to the Additional Services Agreement (ASA) legislation beginning in 2025.
Per AFL.com.au's Riley Beveridge, the top flight of AFLW stars will no longer be able to benefit from their profile to earn extra income on top of their AFLW salary as their earnings are restricted.
The rule adjustment means earnings received through promotional and marketing contracts will be limited, which could harm interstate clubs' ability to lure star talent, as uncapped ASA earnings previously assisted in landing and retaining top players.
Two players per club were granted uncapped earnings from marketing and promotional contracts, while every listed player's salary was graded by 'tiers' - with Tier 1 players earning over $95,000 a season in 2024 and Tier 4 players earning a tick over $55,000 (however all tiers are expected to have an increase in salary in 2025 due to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement).
Yet, with access to unrestricted ASA payments, big-name players such as Ebony Marinoff, Alyce Parker, and Monique Conti were estimated to have earned over double their standard AFLW salary.
The ASA cap now stands at $127,693, only now all 30 players in an AFLW squad will fall under the cap limit, with the previous year's Tier 1 players now included.
It presents a new challenge for interstate AFLW clubs, who have utilised ASA payments in the past to retain their star talent. Adelaide's Marinoff and GWS' Parker were tipped to have earned $150,000 alone each from ASA income, which exceeds the current ASA cap for an entire AFLW squad.
As AFLW salaries remain well below their AFL men's counterparts, some star talent may not find living interstate feasible without individual contracts to support their cost of living.
However, the change would have become eventually necessary, as it promotes fair competition by making all clubs pay players under the same cap.
Continuing without a cap for the clubs' two best players could have turned the AFLW into an English Premier League-style system, where the richer clubs that can afford to provide more ASA contracts sign the better players.
Presently, Tier 1 salaries can be provided to a maximum of three players, although most clubs reserve it for two. The squad is often divvied up with two players in Tier 1, six in Tier 2, six in Tier 3, and 16 in Tier 4.
Following the freshly agreed upon CBA, players on Tier 1 contracts will earn $109,760, Tier 2 footballers will earn $89,559, Tier 3 is worth $76,091, and Tier 4 contracts will pay $67,337.
Fortunately for list management and players, pre-existing ASA agreements for the 2025 and 2026 seasons entered before the CBA signing will be kept. The adjustment is a significant change to the AFLW landscape, though, and its ripple effect will be a fascinating watch.