While the AFL mid-season trade concept won't be introduced in 2024, it looks set to be implemented for the 2025 season.
The period, during the middle of the season, will allow players to change clubs instead of having to wait until the end of the campaign.
With the start date of the initiative still in the distance, The Sporting News explains how it's all going to work.
MORE: AFL practice matches 2024: Fixture, schedule, dates, venues for pre-season Community Series
What is the AFL mid-season trade period?
The proposed AFL mid-season trade period would allow players to move to a new club during the home-and-away season.
AFL-listed players who are struggling for game-time, but performing at VFL, SANFL, and WAFL levels would find opportunities at better-fitting clubs and help to balance the competition.
Similarly, clubs desiring a specific type of player could deal with rival clubs to exchange players or picks and improve their playing lists for the remainder of the year.
How would an AFL mid-season trade period work?
Currently, the AFL allows a ten-day trade window at the beginning of October, after the season’s conclusion.
A mid-season trade period would work similarly to the mid-season draft, which sees players joining new clubs halfway through the season, but would allow clubs to target contracted players.
AFL boss Andrew Dillon says the finer details are yet to be determined, with talks ongoing after the CBA conclusion.
"We will work through it. We've had the discussion with the players' association and in principle we're there, we now want to work with the players' association and the clubs on how it might look," he said.
There's certainly a chance that we could have it next year and we'll do that work over the next few months."
Matthew Richardson throws support behind mid-season trade period
Although the concept would be new to the AFL, Richmond great Matthew Richardson has put his support behind the potential change.
“I look at other sports around the world… English football and American professional sports trade players during the year,” he said on 3AW Melbourne.
“(A) name that comes immediately to mind is Paddy Dow at Carlton. He couldn’t be playing any better in the twos but obviously, Carlton have got a lot of that type of player.
”I feel for him because he probably should be playing at AFL level.”
The AFL, which is working with the AFLPA to implement the mid-year trade period, is also finding solutions to how clubs could fit traded players’ salaries into their wage cap at midseason.
MORE: AFL Coleman Medal leaderboard 2023
Mid-season player movement in other sports
While not traditionally associated with AFL, the mid-season trade period is commonplace in global leagues and Australia’s NRL.
Players in the NRL are able to swap clubs during the season if both club and player agree to end their contract. The transfer system helps to create fan engagement and helps players to find more playing time elsewhere.
The NBA also features mid-season trade deadlines, allowing for teams and players to make moves before the second half of the season.
MORE: NBA free agency tracker 2023: Live updates on breaking news, signings and trades
