The finances of the AFL are in grave danger if players refuse to take a pay cut, says Warren Tredrea.
This week the possibility of a 20% cut in player wages was flagged amid the fallout from the coronavirus crisis.
Tredders told the FIVEAA sports show on Tuesday night:
“What I can tell you is some of the discussion in the AFLPA meeting was if this doesn’t go ahead the AFL could be bankrupt because of the TV rights, the membership money, the sponsorship money. The AFL, what did they make? $50 million this year. What did they turn over? Billions.
“[The AFL’s $120 million future fund] won’t last long if you’re talking 50,000 members at $100 a pop and five million a club.
“I’ve sat on both sides of the fence here but is 20% enough? Here’s an idea to think about. Do you extend every player’s contract by 12 months? So if you’ve got five years you’ve still got five years at the end of this year. And then every player plays this year for half of the AFL average. Maybe it’s $150,000. You’re not going to be on the bones of your bum, you’re still earning good money… the clubs get some respite, the AFL gets some respite, and you still get an extra year on your contract.
“Fox and Seven contribute $400 million … you take six rounds out you’ve got 80 million in limbo not to mention sponsorship money, ticket sales… club memberships. The economy of this AFL business is sitting on the breadline to a certain extent… maybe it’s a case of you need to put the game before yourself and that’s very hard.”
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