The AFL and AFLPA have announced that an agreement has been reached for the player movement period ahead of the 2023 AFLW season (S8).
All 18 clubs were contacted on Monday with a briefing on the 'Priority Signing Period' and 'Sign and Trade Period' that will be included in the new CBA that is currently being negotiated.
Here are the key dates for the upcoming periods:
- Priority Signing Period (PSP): 1 March, 9:30am - 8 March, 2pm
- Sign and Trade Period: 10 March, 9:30am - 20 March, 3pm
AFLW Priority Signing Period (PSP)
The Priority Signing Period (PSP) refers to players who have completed three or more AFLW seasons, with the four recent expansion clubs (Essendon, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and Sydney) offered concessions.
MORE: When will Season Eight of the AFLW start?
| Club | Additional list spots | PSP signings (up to) | Secondary Relocation Reimbursement/Payment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essendon | - | 2 | Permitted |
| Hawthorn | - | 3 | Permitted |
| Port Adelaide | 2 | 3 | Permitted |
| Sydney | 3 | 5 | Permitted |
BREAKING - huge shakeup to AFLW trade periodhttps://t.co/Cou0h7lm8q
— Sarah Black (@_sjblack) February 20, 2023
Each of the four clubs will be allowed to sign 'PSP' players without a trade.
Port Adelaide is also permitted to sign one underage player that is able to play in season eight.
According to the AFLW website, the 14 remaining clubs have limits on the amount of players they can lose via PSP:
| Clubs | No. of players |
|---|---|
| Finish 1st-4th post finals in S7 (Melb, Bris, Ade, NM) | 5 |
| Finish 5th-8th post finals in S7 (Coll, Rich, WB, Geel) | 2 |
| Finish 9th-18th post finals in S7 (GC, GWS, Frem, StK, Carl, WC) | 1 |
AFLW Sign and Trade Period
The 18 clubs will pay the players with the existing pay rates from the CBA but is open to potential changes as the CBA negotiations continue to unfold.
The current pay rates for the AFLW players are:
- 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 aren't bound by a minimum amount of list changes during the AFLW sign and trade period, with further information to be revealed in due course.
AFLW GM Nicole Livingstone was stoked that they were able to reach an agreement with the AFLPA.
“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," Livingstone said.
AFLPA GM Brett Murphy also concurred that this is a step forward in locking down the new CBA.
“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," Murphy said.
