Resource FAQs: Rules, Regulations and Resources for Player Movements in the AFL

Lore · Sep 27, 2019

This thread will contain information about all the rules of drafting, trading and free agency that are relevant to the AFL.

We will also link to relevant resources both on bigfooty and around the web for your convenience.

Index

Club List Management

Salary Cap & Salaries

Trading Picks and Players

Drafts

Father-son and Academy players

Free Agency

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Lore · Sep 27, 2019

Club List Sizes

Clubs are restricted to the following list compositions, for a maximum of 44 listed players:

Primary List Size	Category A Rookies	Category B Rookies	Total Rookies Maximum	TOTAL
36 (Minimum)	1-6	0-2	8 (Maximum)	44
37	0-5	0-2	7	44
38 (Maximum)	0-4	0-2	6 (Minimum)	44

Source: Appendix 1 (p. 186) Australian Football League Rules

Club List Management

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Lore · Sep 27, 2019

Rookie Lists

There are two rookie lists, Category A and Category B.

Category B is the more restricted type of rookie, catering to players from specific non-traditional pathways. Clubs may have up to two Category B rookies at a time. They are not allowed to play in senior matches except when upgraded in lieu of a player on the long term injury list.

This includes eligible former International Scholarship List players, players who have not played or been registered to play Aussie rules football for at least 3 years, Club or Next Generation Academy players (may be pre-listed if not selected during the National Draft) and Irish players.

AFL Rules 2021 said:
10.1 (b) In addition to maintaining the maximum number of allowable Category A Rookie Players on their Rookie List under Rule 10.1, each Club may include a maximum of two (2) extra Players on its Category B Rookie List provided those Players are:
(i) former International Scholarship List Players at that Club who have been nominated under Rule 13.5 or 13.8;
(ii) former Club Academy players at that Club who have been nominated under Rule 14.4;
(iii) International Players;
(iv) Players who have not been registered or played in an Australian football competition for 3 years immediately before inclusion on the Rookie List;
(v) a Qualified NGA Player of the Club who has been nominated in accordance with Rule 15.8(c).

14.4 (e) (i) Subject to Rule 14.4(e)(ii), where a Club Academy Player has been nominated in accordance with Rule 14.4(c) and is not selected at a National Draft or Pre-Season Draft Selection Meeting, the Club with whom he is eligible as a Club Academy Player may include him on its Rookie List prior to the Rookie Draft Selection Meeting in accordance with Rule 10.4.

15.8 (c) If a Qualified NGA Player is eligible to be selected in the National Draft Selection Meeting and is not selected, the relevant Club may include the Player on its Rookie List prior to the Rookie Draft Selection Meeting by lodging Form 34A by the date required by the AFL.

https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/do...3aff/AFL-Rules-effective-16-February-2021.pdf

All other rookies are classed as Category A rookies, of which each club can have between 0 and 6 dependent on the size of their Primary Playing List (see Club list sizes).

Category A rookies are allowed to play an unlimited number of senior games, and can come from a wide range of backgrounds, but usually join their club via the draft (with some exceptions, see Draft). The Category A rookie list may also include a maximum of one Irish player.

AFL Rules 2021 said:
10.1 (a) Each Club must maintain a Rookie List up to a maximum number of Category A Rookie Players and Category B Rookie Players as detailed in Appendix 1.

10.1 (c) Notwithstanding Rule 10.1(b)(iii), a Club may include one Irish citizen or Player who has, in the opinion of the AFL, lived for a substantial period of time in Ireland prior to inclusion on the Rookie List on its Rookie List in accordance with Rule 10.1(b).

https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/do...3aff/AFL-Rules-effective-16-February-2021.pdf

Club List Management

List Sizes
List Lodgement Dates
Profiles of club ages, heights, experience
Rookie Lists
Standard playing contracts
Player contract lengths by club
Players' states of origin by club
Rookie Contracts

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Lore · Sep 27, 2019

Standard Playing Contracts

All AFL players must be contracted using a Standard Playing Contract, which must incorporate the minimum terms and conditions set out in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), and be signed off by the player, a representative of the club, and either an accredited agent, parent or legal guardian of the player.

CBA 2017-2022 said:
21.1 (a) All contracts for the playing of Australian Football entered into between a Player, an AFL Club and the AFL shall be in the form of the Standard Playing Contract.

21.1 (b) All Standard Playing Contracts, variations and Additional Service Agreements lodged with the AFL shall be supported by statutory declarations made by each of the following persons:

(i) the Player;
(ii) an officer of the AFL Club who had the care and conduct of negotiating with the Player; and
(iii) an Accredited Agent, parent or legal guardian, as the case may be, who has been authorised by the Player to act on his behalf in negotiating with the AFL Club.

https://www.aflplayers.com.au/app/uploads/2020/11/AFL_CBA_2017-2022.pdf

Draftees must be contracted for a minimum of two years unless they were previously a rookie or are over 23 by the end of their draft year (exceptions may be granted).

CBA 2017-2022 said:
22.3 (a) When a first year Player is first drafted by an AFL Club, that Player and the AFL Club shall enter into a Standard Playing Contract for a minimum term of two years except in the case of a Player who has previously been drafted as a Rookie or where the Player is over 23 years of age by 31 December in the year in which he is selected by a Club.

22.3 (b) Where a person, who has nominated for the AFL Draft, can demonstrate to the General Counsel that the provisions of clause 22.3(a) would operate to unreasonably restrain him from obtaining employment with an AFL Club as a professional footballer, the provisions of clause 22.3(a) will not apply.

https://www.aflplayers.com.au/app/uploads/2020/11/AFL_CBA_2017-2022.pdf

All Standard Playing Contracts must expire on October 31st in the final year of the contract.

CBA 2017-2022 said:
22.1 (e) All Standard Playing Contracts shall expire on 31 October in the final year of the Player’s contract unless the contract has been varied or renewed, in which case the contract shall expire on 31 October in the final year of the varied or renewed contract.

https://www.aflplayers.com.au/app/uploads/2020/11/AFL_CBA_2017-2022.pdf

Trigger clauses may be included in playing contracts, but neither the club nor the player can enforce a trigger clause for a contract extension without the agreement of the other.

CBA 2017-2022 said:
21.1 (g) An AFL Club and a Player shall not include provision in a Standard Playing Contract which would entitle either party to unilaterally exercise an option to extend the term of a Player’s contract.

https://www.aflplayers.com.au/app/uploads/2020/11/AFL_CBA_2017-2022.pdf

If contracts are not extended, and the player does not qualify for Free Agency, the player must be either traded, delisted, retired, or enter the national draft or pre-season draft.

Senior players (not Rookies) who are out of contract will continue to be bound to their club until the end of the National Draft unless the club removes his name from the club’s list prior to October 31 of that year.

AFL Rules 2021 said:
4.8 (a) A Player shall be bound to a Club if he or she is properly included on the Club's List in accordance with these Rules. This Rule does not apply to a Player listed on a Club’s Rookie List, in which case Rule 10.3 applies.

4.8 (b) If a contract between a Club and a Player expires on 31 October in any year, the Player shall remain registered as a Player of and be bound to the Club until the conclusion of the National Draft Selection Meeting in the relevant year. This Rule does not apply if the Club deletes the Player’s name from its List during the period 31 October until the time and day when the delisted Player is able to nominate for the National Draft Selection Meeting under Rule 6.2(c).

4.8 (c) If a Player remains bound to a Club by reason of Rule 4.8(b), the Club must pay to the Player an allowance in the amount determined from time to time by the AFL and AFLPA.

https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/do...3aff/AFL-Rules-effective-16-February-2021.pdf

Club List Management

List Sizes
List Lodgement Dates
Profiles of club ages, heights, experience
Rookie Lists
Standard playing contracts
Player contract lengths by club
Players' states of origin by club
Rookie Contracts

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Lore · Sep 27, 2019

Rookie Contracts

In the case of a rookie, the above rules regarding Standard Playing Contracts also apply except:

Rookies are entitled to a minimum initial contract of one year, except in the case of international rookies, whose minimum initial contract is two years.

AFL Rules 2021 said:
10.2 (d) Where a Club includes a Player on its Rookie List, it shall:

(i) in the case of an International Player, enter into a Contract of Service for a minimum of 2 AFL Football Seasons; or
(ii) in the case any other Player, enter into a Contract of Service for a minimum of 1 AFL Football Season.

https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/do...3aff/AFL-Rules-effective-16-February-2021.pdf

Rookie contracts may only be extended to a total tenure of 5.5 years. (as of 2024)

AFL Rules 2021 said:
10.10 (a) A Club may retain a Player on its Rookie List for a second season provided it nominates such Player or Players using Form 32, prior to advising the AFL of its Primary List under Rule 6.1(a) and such Player consents to being nominated on the Rookie List for a second season.

10.10 (b) A Club may retain a Player on its Rookie List for a third season provided it nominates such Player or Players using Form 32 prior to advising the AFL of its Primary List under Rule 6.1(a) and such Player consents to being nominated on the Rookie List for a third season.

https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/do...3aff/AFL-Rules-effective-16-February-2021.pdf

The AFL will introduce a trigger for an additional fourth year on the Rookie List where the Rookie has played less than ten career AFL matches, which will then apply in same way for access to an additional fifth year. Total aggregate years on the Rookie List will be capped at five years (5.5 years for Mid-Season Rookie Draft).

Rule change to be applied

https://www.afl.com.au/news/1185312/afl-player-movement-and-list-management-changes

A rookie player may be included on their Club’s senior list prior to the draft.

AFL Rules 2021 said:
10.11 (a) A Club may apply to the AFL to transfer a Player or Players from its Rookie List onto its Primary List:

(i) on the day when its Primary List is lodged with the AFL prior to the National Draft Selection Meeting under Rule 6.1 by lodging with the AFL the form prescribed in Schedule 1 as Form 33. In which case, the Club shall forfeit its last selection or, if more than one player, its last and each previous draft selection at the National AFL Draft Selection meeting.
(ii) in the case of a Category B Rookie, under Rule 26.1(b); or
(iii) at any time between the National Draft Selection Meeting and the day when its Primary List is lodged with the AFL prior to the Pre-Season Draft Selection Meeting under Rule 7.1, by lodging with the AFL the form prescribed in Schedule 1 as Form 33. In which case, the Club shall forfeit its last selection or, if more than one player, its last and each previous draft selection at the Pre-seaso Draft Selection Meeting.

https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/do...3aff/AFL-Rules-effective-16-February-2021.pdf

If a player is not included on the senior list and the contract is not renewed (or the player has completed their third year as a rookie) and if the rookie player does not qualify for Free Agency, then as with senior listed players they must be delisted, retired, traded, or nominate for the Draft.

Ordinarily after three years on the rookie list, a player must be promoted or delisted (or sometimes delisted and re-drafted in the rookie draft!) For 2022, a rookie player can spend a fourth year on the Category A or Category B rookie lists as a 'replacement year' due to the pandemic.

Callum Twomey on Aug 4 2021 said:
CLUBS are set to retain the same list sizes for 2022 while rookies in their third season will be allowed to spend a fourth 'replacement year' on the list after the AFL passed a rule change ahead of the off-season.

Under AFL rules players had not been allowed to spend more than three straight years on the rookie list. However, clubs had been lobbying the League to give extra time to rookies who had been disrupted in their development by the past two AFL seasons by COVID-19.

It saw the AFL confirm to clubs on Wednesday that any player in their third season as a Category A or B rookie will be eligible to spend another season as a rookie in 2022 as a 'replacement' year.

The players will not be required to be delisted and go through the draft process to be re-selected, with the move giving extra time to players brought from international regions or other sports who have had less time to develop at lower levels due to the impact of the pandemic.

AFL confirms 2022 list sizes, tweaks rule for rookies

Club List Management

List Sizes
List Lodgement Dates
Profiles of club ages, heights, experience
Rookie Lists
Standard playing contracts
Player contract lengths by club
Players' states of origin by club
Rookie Contracts

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Lore · Sep 27, 2019

Total Player Payments Limit aka Salary Cap

Total Player Payments (TPP) also known as a “salary cap” is the limit on the amount of money that AFL Clubs can spend paying their players.

Year	2019	2020	2021	2022
TPP Limit	12,758,095	13,013,257	13,273,522	13,538,993

Source: Schedule B, CBA 2017-2022

It does not generally include payments made to rookies, including upgraded rookies.

Each AFL club must spend at least 95% of the Total Player Payments limit each year.

Clubs may spend over 100% of the combined total of the TPP and Additional Services Agreement limit, but this overspending is tied to the amount of cap space the club club has saved in the preceding three years.

For every $1 they have underspent in the preceding 3 years, they can overspend by the same amount up to a hard limit of 105% of the Combined Limit.

Additional Services Agreements

Players may be paid for promotional activities with their Club and/or Club Sponsor of the club in exchange for promoting the sponsors and/or club.

These payments are governed by Additional Services Agreements, which must be lodged with the AFL within 28 days of signing.

They are not included in the TPP but are under a separate cap.

Year	2019	2020	2021	2022
ASA Limit	$1,125,983	$1,159,763	$1,194,555	$1,230,392

Source: Schedule B, CBA 2017-2022

For more information about ASAs see Clause 11 & Schedule F of the CBA 2017-2022

Independent Agreements

Independent Agreements function similarly to Additional Services Agreements, but cover the commercial arrangements made independently between Players (or their Associates) and third parties.

These third parties may be the sponsor of an AFL club or an associate of an AFL Club (other than a sponsor), but the arrangements must be made independently of the club and have no connection with the sponsor or associate’s relationship with the club.

These agreements must be approved by AFL General Counsel and are not included in the TPP or ASA Limits.

See more: CBA 2017-2022

Salary Cap & Salaries

Salary Cap
- Additional Services Agreements
- Independent Agreements
Salary Cap Cuts for 2021
Player Salaries
Minimum salaries for first and second year players
Minimum salaries for other primary listed players
Minimum salaries for rookies

Click here to go back to the main index.

Lore · Sep 27, 2019

Player Salaries

Player salaries are set by the minimum terms and conditions in Schedule C of the CBA.

There are minimum base salary and match payment obligations for first year, second year, rookie listed and primary listed players.

Players taken with picks 1-5 in their draft year are also entitled to a bonus and are obligated to participate in promotional activities on behalf of the AFL. These bonuses are additional to the base salaries and match payments, and are not included in the TPP.

The most recent information we have about what players were paid is from 2018, when the average salary was $362,471, and only 6 players earned more than 1 million dollars in that year.

When all salaries for the entire league are graphed, it comes up as follows:

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For more discussion on this topic, see here:

Resource - Contract end dates, free agents & other stats [live spreadsheets]

Auto-updating contract and stats spreadsheet (Spreadsheet may take a few seconds to load up) Tayl0r and I have been working on this for a while now; a user-friendly, auto-updating contract and stats spreadsheet. In the first tab you will find a list of all players who are out of contract this...

www.bigfooty.com

Minimum salaries for first year players

2020 & 2021 First Year Player Base Salary and Match Payments

Year	Draft Choice	Base Salary	Match Payments
2020/21	1-20	100,000	4,000
2020/21	21-40	90,000	4,000
2020/21	41+ and pre-season draft	85,000	4,000

Players will also receive a bonus for senior matches played:
0 games: Nil
1-5 games: $3,000
6-10 games: $3,000
11+ games: $6,000
Max bonus: $12,000

2022 First Year Player Base Salary and Match Payments

Year	Draft Choice	Base Salary	Match Payments
2022	1-20	105,000	4,000
2022	21-40	95,000	4,000
2022	41+ and pre-season draft	90,000	4,000

Players will also receive a bonus for senior matches played:
0 games: Nil
1-5 games: $3,000
6-10 games: $3,000
11+ games: $6,000
Max bonus: $12,000

Source: Schedule C (p. 67) CBA 2017-2022

Minimum salaries for second year players

2020 & 2021 Second Year Player

Senior Matches Played in the Previous Year	0-8 games Base Salary	0-8 games Match Payment	9-16 games Base Salary	9-16 games Match Payment	17+ games Base Salary	17+ games Match Payment
Pick 1-20	105,000	5,000	115,000	5,000	135,000	5,000
Pick 21-40	95,000	5,000	105,000	5,000	125,000	5,000
Pick 41+ and pre-season draft	90,000	5,000	100,000	5,000	110,000	5,000

Players will also receive a bonus for senior matches played:
0 games: Nil
1-5 games: $3,000
6-10 games: $3,000
11-15 games: $6,000
Max bonus: $12,000

2022 Second Year Player

Senior Matches Played in the Previous Year	0-8 games Base Salary	0-8 games Match Payment	9-16 games Base Salary	9-16 games Match Payment	17+ games Base Salary	17+ games Match Payment
Pick 1-20	110,000	5,000	120,000	5,000	140,000	5,000
Pick 21-40	100,000	5,000	110,000	5,000	130,000	5,000
Pick 41+ and pre-season draft	95,000	5,000	105,000	5,000	115,000	5,000

Players will also receive a bonus for senior matches played:
0 games: Nil
1-5 games: $3,000
6-10 games: $3,000
11-15 games: $6,000
Max bonus: $12,000

Source: Schedule C (pp. 69-70) CBA 2017-2022

Minimum salaries for other primary listed players

Year	Base Payment	Senior Match Payment
2020	$110,000	$5,000
2021	$110,000	$5,000
2022	$115,000	$5,000

Source: Schedule C (p. 66) CBA 2017-2022

Minimum salaries for rookies

Year	Base Salary	Senior Match Payment
2020	$80,000	$4,000
2021	$80,000	$4,000
2022	$85,000	$4,000

Players will also receive a bonus for senior matches played:
0 games: Nil
1-5 games: $3,000
6-10 games: $3,000
11+ games: $6,000
Max bonus: $12,000

Source: Schedule C (p. 71) CBA 2017-2022

Salary Cap & Salaries

Salary Cap
- Additional Services Agreements
- Independent Agreements
Salary Cap Cuts for 2021
Player Salaries

Minimum salaries for first and second year players

Minimum salaries for other primary listed players

Minimum salaries for rookies

Click here to go back to the main index.

Lore · Sep 27, 2019

Trading Picks and Players

Consent
Players must be given as much notice as possible if their club intends to trade them, and must give consent for a trade to happen.

CBA 2017-2022 said:
22.2 (a) No AFL Club shall exchange any Player unless the Player has been given as much notice as possible by the AFL Club of its intention to trade without any duress being applied by the AFL Club, its employees or agents to the player and the Player genuinely consents to the trade.

https://www.aflplayers.com.au/app/uploads/2020/11/AFL_CBA_2017-2022.pdf

Timing
Trades must be completed during the trade period/s nominated by the AFL.

AFL Rules 2021 said:
9.1 (a) At any time determined by the AFL and subject to the other provisions of Rule 9, a Club may exchange with another Club or Clubs any combination of Primary List Player(s), Rookie List Player(s) and National Draft Selection(s).

https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/do...3aff/AFL-Rules-effective-16-February-2021.pdf

Limitations
There are some limitations on the trades that clubs are allowed to do.

Clubs may only trade draft picks from the current or following year’s national draft, and may not trade a pick back to the club they just got it from.

Once a player has been traded they may not be traded again until the following year.

Rookies must be included on the primary list of their destination club if they are traded.

AFL Rules 2021 said:
9.3 (a) A Club may only exchange a National Draft Selection or Selections to which it is entitled at either of the current year’s National Draft Selection Meeting or the following year’s National Draft Selection Meeting.

9.5 A Club shall not be entitled to exchange a Player received in any exchange until the following year.

9.7 (a) A Club may exchange a Draft selection which it has received from another Club, provided that the selection is not traded directly back to that Club.

9.8 A Rookie List Player exchanged under Rule 9.1 must be included on the Primary List of the Club that the Player is exchanged to.

https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/do...3aff/AFL-Rules-effective-16-February-2021.pdf

Future Pick Trading

Trading of future picks is further restricted by a Determination on Future Pick Trading from the AFL General Counsel. While we do not have access to this document, media reports suggest that there are two main components to these rules:

Clubs may not trade out all of their picks in the following year’s draft. They may either trade out of the first round, or trade out of the subsequent rounds. If they trade back into the first round, they will again be allowed to trade picks from the subsequent rounds of the draft.
Clubs must use two first round picks in the four national drafts prior to the current trade period. The penalty for not doing this is a ban on trading out any first round picks, unless another one is traded back in first.

Discussion here

Future Pick Trading From 2025

Clubs will be able to trade future draft selections up to two years in advance subject to the following AFL imposed protections:

Clubs must use two first round selections every four years.

Clubs must have board approval to trade any first round selections.

For second year only: Clubs must hold the full suite of draft selections (2nd and 3rd round selections) to trade their first round selections and vice versa.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/1185312/afl-player-movement-and-list-management-changes

Live Trading during the National Draft

As of 2018, trades may also be completed during the AFL National Draft. This is not explicitly covered in the AFL Rules or the CBA, but is likely to be detailed in a Determination made by AFL General Counsel (which we do not have access to).

In 2018 the Sydney Swans made use of live trading to pick up an academy player in the draft, matching the bid using later picks and then trading back into the draft. This loophole is likely to be closed following a review of the live trading rules.

Discussion here

For those curious, Draft Guru also has a Trade Value Calculator here:

AFL Draft Pick Value Calculator - Draftguru

Lore · Sep 27, 2019

The Draft

The AFL Draft is comprised of four drafts: the National Draft, the Pre-Season Draft, the Rookie Draft, and the Mid-Season Rookie Draft.

Of the four, only the National Draft is compulsory, with clubs obliged to use three picks in this draft.

AFL Rules 2021 said:
6.2 (d) (i) At a National Draft Selection Meeting:
(A) each Club shall exercise a minimum of 3 Draft selections (including selections forfeited under Rules 8.7, 10.11(a), 13.4(b), 14.4(d) and 15.8(b))

https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/document/2021/02/17/1c2e72af-a474-4a06-95af-7d4f41ae3aff/AFL-Rules-effective-16-February-2021.pdf

BigFooty Draft Hub
For all draft related discussion, please refer to our dedicated Draft Hub sub-board.

There you will find discussion of the U19 Championships, Draft Profiles about specific prospects, discussion of academy players and father/sons, among many other topics.

We also have our Draft Experts, Draft Watchers and Phantom Drafters who can give you an idea about almost any prospect in the upcoming draft.

You may also like to check out the U18 AFL App for further information about draft prospects.

Eligibility
Players must be 18 years of age by the 31st of December in the relevant year in order to be eligible for the draft. They must not be bound to an AFL club, and must either be previously registered with the AFL or a recognised state, club or school competition.

AFL Rules 2021 said:
6.3 (a) A Player who has nominated in accordance with these Rules is eligible to be drafted if he also satisfies the following requirements:

(i) the Player must have attained the age of 18 years or will attain the age of 18 years on or before the 31st day of December next following the date of drafting;
(ii) the Player must not be bound to an AFL Club;
(iii) if invited, the Player must attend the AFL Combine or such other AFL approved or organised test or evaluation, unless the AFL considers that there is a reasonable explanation for the Player’s non-attendance; and
(iv) the Player has:
(A) been previously registered with the AFL; or
(B) been registered continuously from the 1st day of June immediately preceding the National Draft Selection Meeting and has played at least one game in the season immediately preceding the National Draft Selection Meeting in the State league competition conducted by the WAFC or SANFL; or
(C) been registered continuously from or prior to the 1st day of June immediately preceding the National Draft Selection Meeting with any recognised club or school competition in Victoria (including without limitation the VFL, VAFA, VCFL and VMFL), Tasmania, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland or the Australian Capital Territory; or
(D) been a bona fide resident for the continuous period of 3 years preceding the National Draft Selection Meeting, in a country other than Australia.

https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/document/2021/02/17/1c2e72af-a474-4a06-95af-7d4f41ae3aff/AFL-Rules-effective-16-February-2021.pdf

Nominated Football Payments
Players may specify their expected salary on their draft nomination form for a minimum period of two years, so long as they are not a first year draft choice player.

AFL Rules 2021 said:
6.3 (b) (i) Nominated Football Payments

(A) A Player, (other than a first year draft choice Player or such a Player in his second year), may specify in the nomination lodged pursuant to Rule 6.2(c) the Football Payments which he will require if he is selected at a Draft Selection Meeting.
(B) By so specifying the Football Payments he will require, the Player shall be taken to have made an offer to the Club which selects him at a Draft Selection Meeting, to accept employment in return for the Football Payments so specified.
(C) The Club which selects a Player who has specified the Football Payments which he will require shall be deemed to have accepted the offer set out in (b) above.
(D) Immediately following the Draft Selection Meeting, the Player and the Club to whom (c) above applies, shall execute a Contract of Service providing for the Football Payments specified by the Player in accordance with (a) above.
(E) If a Player nominates his Football Payments he must do so for a minimum period of two years.

https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/document/2021/02/17/1c2e72af-a474-4a06-95af-7d4f41ae3aff/AFL-Rules-effective-16-February-2021.pdf

Draft Order
All four drafts are structured in rounds, with teams taking turns to pick a player in reverse ladder order. As such, each round has 18 picks and begins with the 18th placed team picking first, followed by the 17th placed team, and then the 16th placed team, et cetera, until all clubs have a full roster in accordance with the rules determining Club List Sizes.

The order of each draft may be altered through sanctions or at the determination of the AFL General Counsel. The National Draft is further altered through pick trading, the addition of priority and compensation picks, and live bidding on Father/Son and Academy players.

The order of the 2021 National Draft is shown below, for discussion see here.

Draft Sanctions
In the past draft related sanctions have involved the complete forfeiture of draft picks.

More recently sanctions have been handed out in the form of draft points, meaning that rather than forfeiting the pick altogether, the pick is devalued and moves down the draft order.

Points Bidding System for Father-Son and Academy Players
Father-son and Academy players enter the draft in the same manner as other eligible players.

Any club may bid on these players, however the club that the player is attached to has the right to match any such bids if they choose to. Clubs are not obliged to match bids on their father-son or academy players.

If the club chooses to match, their next available pick will be used to draft the player. If the next available pick is worth less than the discounted value required to match the bid, then the clubs’ other picks will be used to make up the difference. If necessary, clubs may go into deficit the following year in order to match the bid.

"AFL rules state that clubs cannot match more than two first-round draft bids on academy prospects if they play finals in the same year." – Thanks to Bletch for the link: Marc McGowan, 2023. (The Age)

"A club, too, is restricted to matching one first-round academy bid if it’s among the last four teams remaining in the finals." – Thanks to Bletch for the link: Ben Waterworth, 2023. (Fox Footy)

edit: Further discussion around academy bid matching for finals teams here: Round 1 bid matching restrictions for finalists

"The AFL has ruled that the number of selections a club holds going into the national draft must match the number of vacant spots on their primary list, meaning that clubs will no longer be able to activate "hidden picks" during the draft in order to access academy players." – Thanks to Ants for the link: Emma Quayle, 2016. (The Age)

Each pick in the national draft has been assigned a point value. A discount of 20% is applied when matching a bid in the first round (18 picks) of the draft. Bids after this point will have a flat discount of 197 points applied.

DyBAWNIdv5_-JXcwuXF10TfC5xwiyuKOGTXWcqYoEuemhZJ6kIRj5bBfYZOc_7nakaU0rDrS3s0KEXjkZK9Vza0mSyk3_C8PQDb2vCegVPTjepffDwblZVWP1Vm16MieFsZtpxOx

From 2025 the points will be allocated thus:

https://mcusercontent.com/7cd32ad25.../00853ebd-ebff-a840-7be0-feba31347590/DVI.pdf

Bidding system from 2025:

A 10% discount will be applied on all bids from selection 1 to 18 followed by an 84-point deduction (being 10% of selection 18) for all bids from selection 19 to 36.

Matching a bid - first round: Matched using equivalent DVI points.

Matching a bid - after first-round:

Matched using equivalent DVI points up to selection 36.

Match with next selection from selection 37.

Restriction on Northern Academies: There will be no restrictions based on ladder finishing position for Northern Academy clubs.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/1185312/afl-player-movement-and-list-management-changes

Surplus
If a bid is placed on a player in the first round and another first round pick is used to match it. If the number of points in the matching pick is more than the points required to match the bid, these points will be saved, rather than being carried over to the club's next pick.

Lions_Insider said:
Also, further to this point posted late last week, hopefully the below (taken from the official AFL Bidding System Rule book issued to Club recruiters) serves as some clarification:

Once the player has been “paid” for by the forfeiting of a single selection or multiple selections, there may be a surplus of points. With the exception of the circumstance set out below, those surplus points are converted to another selection in the current National Draft using the DVI.

The exception to the above point is where a player is bid for at pick 18 or earlier and the Club’s next available selection is worth more points than the value that must be paid to acquire the player. In this case, the surplus points are not converted to a selection in the current National Draft, but are retained and used to offset any deficit arising at the conclusion of this National Draft or future National Drafts.

Deficit
If a club goes into deficit to match a bid on a father-son or academy player, the deficit is applied before the free agency/trade period the following year so that clubs can't avoid paying the deficit by trading the picks out. Once it's been applied that's it, it doesn't get reapplied on new picks you trade in.

This source appears to be slightly out of date, as a deficit comes off the club's selection in the equivalent round of the following year (not the first pick).

View attachment 759618

Source: https://s.afl.com.au/staticfile/AFL Tenant/AFL/Files/Father-son-bidding-system.pdf

For a more detailed explanation of the bidding and matching system, see the AFL article here or the Bidding Review PDF here.

Games played by draftees (based on pick taken)

Ever wondered how many games your draftee is likely to play? The chart below uses historical data to show the number of games played by players taken at various points in the draft.

It was originally posted by ADL9798 here, who describes it as follows:

Survival curve of every non-current player drafted from 1996 to 2016. Worth a quick read.

45% of top 10 picks, and over 70% of players taken with picks 10-20, don’t make it past 100 games.

Original source: Round 20 – the “survival function” of AFL draftees, and Port’s makeshift ruck

Players signed directly outside the draft
Some special classes of players may be signed with a club without going through the national draft. This includes Alternative Talent (Rule 11) and International Scholarship List players (Rule 13).

Father-son and Academy players who nominate for the national draft but who are not selected, may also be pre-selected as a rookie prior to the rookie draft.

AFL Rules 2021 said:
8.8 Father/Son Rookie Pre-Selection

(a) Subject to Rule 8.8(b), where an eligible Father/Son Player has been nominated in accordance with Rule 8.4(b) and is not selected at a National Draft or Pre-Season Draft Selection Meeting, the Club with whom he is eligible as a Father/Son Player may include him on its Rookie List prior to the Rookie Draft Selection Meeting in accordance with Rule 10.4.
(b) Prior to the inclusion of a Player on its Rookie List under Rule 8.8(a), the Club must provide to the AFL written evidence of the Club’s and Player’s agreement to be listed as a Rookie. That agreement must specify that the Player can and will only be listed on the Club’s Rookie List if he is not selected by any Club at the National or Pre-Season Draft Selection Meeting.

14.4 (e) Club Academy Player Rookie Pre-Selection

(i) Subject to Rule 14.4(e)(ii), where a Club Academy Player has been nominated in accordance with Rule 14.4(c) and is not selected at a National Draft or Pre-Season Draft Selection Meeting, the Club with whom he is eligible as a Club Academy Player may include him on its Rookie List prior to the Rookie Draft Selection Meeting in accordance with Rule 10.4.
(ii) By the date nominated by the AFL prior to the Pre-Season Draft Selection Meeting, the Club must provide to the AFL written evidence of the Club’s intention to list a Player under Rule 14.4(e)(i) if he is not selected by any Club at the Pre-Season Draft Selection Meeting using the form prescribed in Schedule 1 as Form 34A.

https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/document/2021/02/17/1c2e72af-a474-4a06-95af-7d4f41ae3aff/AFL-Rules-effective-16-February-2021.pdf

Pre-Season Supplemental Selection Period (SSP)
In 2018 the AFL also introduced a pre-season supplemental selection period, allowing teams to sign players who had been on an AFL list before as a Category A Rookie between the start of December and the end of March each year.

Teams must have a spot available on their rookie list in order to sign players through the SSP, which can be achieved by moving players who have retired earlier in the year or who have long term injuries onto the 'inactive list'. Players who are moved to the inactive list are not allowed to return to the primary list until the season has concluded.

The AFL Rules still haven't been updated with the details of how the mechanism works, but some information was published on the website at the time:

Any player delisted in a previous year qualifies to sign with any club in the SSP, but teams cannot cut a footballer then re-recruit them via this method in the same year.

The only scenario where that could happen is if that player goes undrafted before the SSP.

That means clubs still risk losing a player when they delist them with a promise to re-rookie them.

What will likely become known as the Mumford rule allows the same luxury for a retired footballer and/or a player who delisted himself and has not been on an AFL list for at least one year.

A player who retires cannot sign in the SSP in the same year unless they nominate and are overlooked in the drafts.

Zac's back: Ex-Docker gets green light to join Essendon

Ex-Docker free to join Bombers and Giant comeback a step closer

www.afl.com.au

Mid-Season Rookie Draft
The mid-season draft was introduced in 2019 with the same eligibility criteria as the SSP. Players must be previously on an AFL list or nominated and gone undrafted at the previous national draft.

They cannot go back to their former club within 12 months unless they've nominated for the national draft and gone undrafted.

The mid-season draft occurs around the mid-point of the season and is conducted in reverse ladder order after approximately Round 11 or Round 12 (depending on the date of the draft). Teams must have a spot available on their rookie list in order to make selections at the mid-season draft. Trading of mid-season draft picks is currently not allowed.

Eligible players include:

A Player who nominated for the most recent NAB AFL National Draft.
Please note: A Player who nominated for and was not selected during the Draft and who committed for a further year as a 19-year-old Northern or NGA Academy Player is available to all Clubs should they nominate for the NAB AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft.

A Player who has previously been on the list of a Club (not required to nominate for the most recent Draft) refers to the following situations:

A Delisted Player
Please note: A Player delisted by a Club cannot be reselected in the NAB AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft by the same Club in the period immediately following their delisting unless they nominated for the most recent Draft.

A Retired Player and/or a Player who has delisted himself and has not been on an AFL List for one year or more. For example, a player who retired in 2020 is not able to be selected in the 2021 NAB AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft.

Players in their 18th year or younger are not eligible to be selected.

Any player who does not meet the above criteria can be nominated by a representative of the AFL Talent Pathway, their AFLPA accredited agent or the player themselves and be considered for an exemption.

State League Participation:

Players who are selected in the 2021 Mid-Season Rookie Draft that stay in their original State are subject to the following:

They will not be permitted to play against their original Club unless otherwise agreed by all parties.

The player has the right to return to their original Club to participate in finals if their service is no longer required at their AFL Club.

Mid-Season Draft: All the nominations, club selections confirmed

The AFL has announced the final list of eligible players who have nominated for the 2021 NAB AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft

www.afl.com.au

Lore · Sep 27, 2019

Club Academies & Next Generation Academies

Academies allow clubs to develop junior football talent in their respective zones, and provide clubs with priority access to any player developed in their academy through the draft bidding system.

Eligibility for Club Academies
For the four northern clubs (Brisbane Lions, Gold Coast FC, Sydney Swans and GWS Giants), eligibility of junior talent to join each club’s academy is determined by the age and home address of the player in question.

Academy prospects must be between the ages of 10 and 18 on the 31st of December in the year that they are first included in the club’s academy.

AFL Rules 2021 said:
14.2 (a)

(i) A Player is eligible to be included in a Club Academy only if the Player satisfies the age requirements under Rule 14.2(b) (subject to Rule 14.8) and, unless determined otherwise by the AFL, the Player is domiciled in that Club’s Academy Region.
(ii) Notwithstanding clause 14.2(a)(i), the AFL may direct a Club to include a Player in its Club Academy.

14.2 (b) Subject to Rule 14.8, a Player must satisfy the following age requirements in order to be included in a Club’s Academy:

(i) A Player must have attained the age of 10 years or will attain the age of 10 years on or before 31 December in the Football Year that they are first included in the Club Academy.
(ii) A Player must be under the age of 18 years as at 31 December in the Football Year that they are included in a Club Academy except as provided by Rule 14.8.

https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/do...3aff/AFL-Rules-effective-16-February-2021.pdf

To maintain eligibility the player must continue to reside within the club’s zone and be registered to play in an Australian rules football competition within that zone.

AFL Rules 2021 said:
14.6 Unless otherwise determined by the AFL, a Player included in a Club Academy must:

(a) remain domiciled in that Club’s Academy Region; and
(b) be registered and play in an Australian football competition located in the Academy Region; and
(c) if selected, represent either New South Wales or Queensland, as the case may be, at any underage national football championships; and
(d) attend Player screening/testing as directed by the AFL.

https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/do...3aff/AFL-Rules-effective-16-February-2021.pdf

Eligibility for Next Generation Academies (NGA)
All clubs may also establish a ‘Next Generation Academy’ to develop junior football talent within their zone. It should be noted that clubs only get priority access to those players deemed to be “Qualified NGA Players”, however.

While all players between the ages of 10 and 15 years old who live in the club’s zone can be included in the NGA, eligibility for inclusion beyond age 15 years up until 18 years old is limited to Qualified NGA Players.

AFL Rules 2021 said:
15.2 (b) A person must satisfy the following age requirements in order to be included in a Club’s Next Generation Academy in a Football Year:

(i) a person must attain the age of 10 years on or before 31 December in the relevant Football Year; and
(ii) unless the person is a Qualified NGA Player, a person must be under the age of 15 years as at 31 December of the relevant Football Year;
(iii) in the case of a Qualified NGA Player, a person must be under the age of 18 years as at 31 December of the relevant Football Year – except as provided by Rule 15.9.

https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/do...3aff/AFL-Rules-effective-16-February-2021.pdf

Qualified NGA Players include Indigenous players, players who were born in Africa, Asia or a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) country, and players who have a biological parent who was born in either Africa, Asia or a CALD country.

Qualified NGA Players may only join the NGA of one club, and must continue to live within the club’s zone to stay in the NGA.

Qualified NGA Players must also have played at least 10 games in the relevant underage competition in their state and has never been registered in the AFL.

AFL Rules 2021 said:
15.8 (a) For the purposes of this Rule 15, a Qualified NGA Player means a NGA Player who:

(i) was born in Africa or Asia; or
(ii) has a biological parent who was born in Africa or Asia; or
(iii) is an Indigenous Person; or
(iv) is a CALD NGA Player, and:
(v) has not at any time been registered with AFL as a Player with any Club;
(vi) unless otherwise permitted by AFL, has not entered into a Next Generation Academy Agreement with a Club other than the Club seeking approval of that NGA Player as a Qualified NGA Player under Rule 15.8(d)15.8(d);
(vii) unless otherwise permitted by AFL, has been and continues to be domiciled in the relevant part of the Club’s NGA Region from the period after he first entered into a Next Generation Academy Agreement with the relevant Club;
(viii) unless otherwise permitted by AFL, has participated in at least 10 matches in the TAC Cup competition, SANFL under 18s Macca’s Cup competition, WAFL under 19s Colts competition or the underage national Australian football championships conducted under the auspices of AFL; and
(ix) is approved in writing by General Counsel under Rule 15.8(d).

https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/do...3aff/AFL-Rules-effective-16-February-2021.pdf

Zones

Queensland Zones - Brisbane and Gold Coast

New South Wales Zones - Sydney and GWS

South Australian Zones - Port Adelaide & Adelaide

Western Australia Zones - Fremantle & West Coast

Tasmania Zones - North Melbourne

Northern Territory Zones - Essendon, Geelong, Hawthorn, Collingwood, Melbourne

Victorian Zones - Richmond, Western Bulldogs, Geelong, Essendon, Hawthorn, North Melbourne, Carlton, Collingwood, St Kilda, Melbourne

Source: https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/do...3aff/AFL-Rules-effective-16-February-2021.pdf

Discussion here:

News - AFL reviewing northern and multicultural academies

AFL reviewing the way that academies work, how players are tied to clubs and the price that clubs pay to draft them. https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/afl-reviewing-northern-and-multicultural-academies-20190228-p510zv.html The review - which AFL sources said would be "open-ended" - follows...

www.bigfooty.com

Lore · Sep 27, 2019

Father-son rule

AFL Clubs have priority access to players whose father has played 100 VFL/AFL games for their club via the draft bidding system.

For the Sydney Swans this includes games played under the South Melbourne brand, and for Brisbane Lions this includes games played for Fitzroy.

AFL Rules 2021 said:
8.1 Players Eligible – All Clubs
Subject to Rule 8.4, a Club may include a person on its Primary List or Rookie List if the person’s father played 100 or more Senior Matches (being either Home and Away or Finals Series Matches) with the Club.

8.3 NSW and Queensland Based Clubs
A person is eligible to be included on the Primary List or Rookie List of:

(a) the Sydney Swans if his father satisfies the criteria under Rule 8.1 by playing for the South Melbourne Football Club (as it was then known); or

(b) the Brisbane Lions if his father satisfies the criteria under Rule 8.1 by playing for the Fitzroy Football Club (as it was then known).

https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/do...3aff/AFL-Rules-effective-16-February-2021.pdf

South Australian and West Australian father-sons
In the case of clubs who joined the league more recently, there are further access rights that were granted as part of the nationalisation of the AFL.

South Australian clubs have priority access to players whose father played at least 200 games for their affiliated SANFL clubs prior to the inclusion of their respective AFL clubs in the national competition.

West Australian clubs likewise have priority access to players whose fathers played at least 150 games for their affiliated WAFL clubs prior to the inclusion of their respective AFL clubs in the national competition.

AFL Rules 2021 said:
8.2 Western Australian and South Australian Based Clubs
(a) In addition to the rights conveyed under Rule 8.1;

(i) The West Coast Eagles Football Club may include a person on its Primary List if that person’s father played 150 Senior Matches (being either home and away or finals series matches) at one of the following clubs prior to, but not including, 1987:

(A) Claremont Football Club;

(B) East Perth Football Club;

(C) West Perth Football Club; or

(D) Subiaco Football Club.

(ii) The Fremantle Football Club may include a person on its Primary List if that person’s father played 150 or more Senior Matches (being either home and away or finals series matches) at one of the following clubs prior to, but not including, 1995:

(A) South Fremantle Football Club;

(B) East Fremantle Football Club;

(C) Perth Football Club; or

(D) Swan Districts Football Club.

(iii) The Adelaide Football Club may include a person on its Primary List if that person’s father played 200 or more Senior Matches (being either home and away or finals series matches) at one of the following clubs prior to but not including, 1991:

(A) Norwood Football Club;

(B) Glenelg Football Club;

(C) Sturt Football Club; or

(D) South Adelaide Football Club.

(iv) The Port Adelaide Football Club may include a person on its Primary List if that person’s father played 200 or more Senior Matches (being either home and away or finals series matches) at one of the following clubs prior to, but not including, 1997:

(A) Port Magpies Football Club;

(B) Woodville Football Club;

(C) West Torrens Football Club;

(D) North Adelaide Football Club;

(E) Central Districts Football Club; or

(F) West Adelaide Football Club.

https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/do...3aff/AFL-Rules-effective-16-February-2021.pdf

When a player is eligible for two clubs as a father-son

A player who is eligible to be drafted by two or more clubs as a result of the father-son rule must nominate his preferred club before the draft. That club will then have the right to match any bids that come for him.

AFL Rules 2021 said:
8.6 Where a Player is eligible to be included on the Primary List or Rookie List of more than one Club under this Father/Son Rule, the Player may be included on the List of either Club, according to the preference of the Player and the Determination for the national Draft Bidding System.

https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/do...3aff/AFL-Rules-effective-16-February-2021.pdf

For discussion about father/son prospects, see here.

Taylor · Sep 28, 2019

Free Agency

Who is a free agent?

A player who is out of contract and has served eight years on the primary and/or rookie list will be a free agent (either restricted or unrestricted, see below).

CBA 2017-2022 said:
1.1 Free Agents
(a) Unless a Player is a Restricted Free Agent, a Player who:

(i) is party to a Contract of Service with a Club that expires on or prior to 31 October in a particular year (relevant year); and
(ii) prior to or upon the expiration of the Contract of Service referred to in Rule 1.1(a)(i), has been on that Club’s Primary and/or Rookie List for eight or more consecutive AFL Seasons,
(b) will be a Free Agent in the relevant year.

Source: Annexure D, CBA 2017-2022

Delisted Free Agent
A player who is delisted by the club that year will be a free agent, this applies for primary listed and rookie listed players not offered contracts for the following year.

CBA 2017-2022 said:
1.1 Free Agents
(c) A Player who:

(i) is on the Primary List of a Club; and
(ii) subject to Rule 1.1(e), is removed from the Primary List by that Club on or before the final list lodgement date in a particular year (relevant year);
(d) will be a Free Agent in the relevant year.

(f) A Player who:

(i) is a Rookie Player in a particular year (relevant year); and
(ii) subject to Rule 1.1(h), has not received an offer from his Current Club to enter into a Contract of Service for a further period of one year,
(g) will be a Free Agent in the relevant year.

Source: Annexure D, CBA 2017-2022

Rookie listed players who have served two years and choose not to accept the offer of a third season will be free agents

CBA 2017-2022 said:
1.1 (h) A Player who is a second year Rookie Player and receives an offer from his Current Club to be retained as a third year Rookie Player but does not accept that offer will be a Free Agent in the relevant year.

Source: Annexure D, CBA 2017-2022

Restricted and Unrestricted Free Agents

If a players guaranteed payments places them within the top 25% of players on the primary list (top 10 for clubs with 40 players, top 9 for clubs with less than 40 players on their primary list) AND the player has not come out of contract previously as a free agent AND the player has served eight years then the player will be a Restricted Free Agent.

If the player is not in the top 25% of players paid that year OR the player has served ten years or more OR the player has previously come out of contract as a free agent then the player will be considered an Unrestricted Free Agent.

1.2 (a) Subject to Rule 1.2(b), a Player who:

(i) otherwise meets the criteria under Rule 1.1 (a) in a particular year (relevant year); and
(ii) as at the date determined by the AFL under Rule 1.3 (relevant date), is entitled to Guaranteed Payments for the relevant year that places that Player:
(A) where a Club has 40 Players on its Primary List as at the relevant date, within the top 10 ranked Players on the Club’s Primary List; or
(B) where a Club has less than 40 Players on its Primary List as at the relevant date, within the top 9 ranked Players on the Club’s Primary List;
(C) in respect of Guaranteed Payments for the relevant year, such rankings to be determined by the AFL, will be a Restricted Free Agent in the relevant year.

1.2 (b) A Player who meets the criteria under Rule 1.2(a) will not be a Restricted Free Agent, and will be a Free Agent, in a particular year where both of the following apply:

(i) his Contract of Service expires on or before 31 October in a particular year being equal to or greater than his tenth consecutive year as a Player on the Primary and/or Rookie List of the Player’s Current Club; and
(ii) he has already entered into a new Contract of Service with his Current Club once following 1 March in his eighth consecutive AFL Season on the Primary and/or Rookie List of that Club.

Source: Annexure D, CBA 2017-2022

Handy infographic by the AFLPA:

Source: https://www.aflplayers.com.au/app/uploads/2019/10/FreeAgency_Explained_2019-002.pdf

Taylor · Sep 28, 2019

Movement of Free Agents
In all cases a player may sign a power of attorney allowing a representative to enter into an agreement with a club on behalf of the player.

Unrestricted/Delisted Free Agents
Delisted Free Agents and Unrestricted Free Agents are able to be signed to the primary list of a new club by filling Form 42 with the AFL within the free agency and delisted free agency periods that open at the end of the year.

Source: Annexure D 1.4, CBA 2017-2022

Restricted Free Agents
Restricted free agent movement are a minimum of two year deals.

Where a player wishes to move as a Restricted Free Agent, the new club submits a Form 41 to the AFL within the Free Agency Period. The AFL then provides a copy of the offer to the current club.

The current club then has 3 days to match the offer. If the current club does not match the offer within the three day window the player and the new club must enter a new Contract of Service with the offer terms.

Matching the offer entails matching the contract length, base payments, total match payment rates, total additional service agreement payments (this is third party deals) and total individual performance bonuses based on AFL awards/honours, club B&F placement, matches played but excluding team performance. The AFL then provides a copy of the matched offer to the player.

If the player wishes to participate in the AFL the following season they may either; sign a Contract of Service with the current club with the terms of the matched offer, nominate for the draft, or request a trade.

A player can sign a contract with the current club different to the terms of the offer, even if the AFL has received the offer from the new club during the 3 day offer period.

CBA 2017-2022 said:
1.5 (k) Where:

(i) a Restricted Free Agent’s Current Club does not match the terms of the Offerin accordance with the process and within the time period prescribed by Rule 1.5(g), and
(ii) the Restricted Free Agent and his Current Club, have not agreed to enter into a Contract of Service on different terms to the Offer within three days of the Current Club receiving the Offer from the AFL,
(l) the relevant Player and the Offering Club must promptly enter into a Contract of Service in accordance with the terms of the Offer and lodge documents with the AFL in accordance with the AFL Rules.

1.5 (e) The Restricted Free Agent’s Current Club has the right to match the proposedcontract, arrangement, agreement or understanding in respect of the Restricted Free Agent on identical terms to the Offer in relation to each of:
(i) contract length;
(ii) base payments;
(iii) total match payment rates;
(iv) total Additional Services agreement payments; and
(v) total performance incentives based on AFL awards or honours, Club best and fairest finish and matches played, but excluding Finals.

1.5 (f) For the avoidance of doubt, incentive payments for team performance are not required to be matched by the Current Club.

1.5 (i) Where a Restricted Free Agent’s Current Club matches the Offer and the Playerwishes to participate in the AFL Competition in the following year, the Restricted Free Agent must either:

(i) enter into a Contract of Service in accordance with the Matching Offer with his Current Club within 7 days of the provision of notice of the Matching Offer to the restricted Free Agent under Rule 1.5(g); or
(ii) nominate for the Draft (unless the Player is part of an exchange under the AFL Rules.

1.5 (m) Nothing in this Rule 1.5 prevents a Restricted Free Agent’s Current Club making an offer, or a Restricted Free Agent accepting an offer from his Current Club, in relation to a Player’s services on different terms to the Offer within three days of theCurrent Club receiving the Offer from the AFL.

Source: Annexure D, CBA 2017-2022

Taylor · Sep 28, 2019

Free Agent Compensation Bands
Compensation for Restricted and Unrestricted Free Agents is determined according to the mechanism quoted below.

Clubs are not entitled to compensation for the loss of a Delisted Free Agent.

CBA 2017-2022 said:
1.6 Compensation
(a) Where in a particular year one or more Free Agent(s) under Rule 1.1(a) and Rule 1.2(b) and/or Restricted Free Agent(s) move from a Club’s Playing List (the first mentioned Club) to the Playing List of one or more other Clubs pursuant to the operation of Rule 1.4 or 1.5, the first mentioned Club may be entitled to a compensatory selection(s) in the next occurring National Draft Selection Meeting as follows:

(i) any compensatory selection(s) shall be allocated in accordance with guidelines determined by the AFL;
(ii) National Draft Selections will be allocated to one of five places:
(A) First round;
(B) End of First Round;
(C) Second Round;
(D) End of Second Round;
(E) Third Round;
(iii) a National Draft Selection allocated under Rule 1.6(a)(ii)(A), (C) or (E) shall be taken by the Club immediately after the Club’s selection in that Round (as determined by the AFL Rules);

(b) For the avoidance of doubt, any entitlement to a compensatory selection:

(i) may be exchanged in accordance with the AFL Rules;
(ii) cannot be utilised pursuant to the Father/Son rule; and
(iii) cannot be utilised pursuant to the Listing of Club Academy Player.

Source: Annexure D, CBA 2017-2022

The Age also has also published a comprehensive piece regarding how compensation is determined, which you can view here:

The AFL's secret formula for free agency compensation

Length of contract is largely irrelevant, but a one-year age gap can make a big difference.

www.theage.com.au

Suma Magic has also done a breakdown of the formula here.

From 2024 the points system by which banding is calculated will include bonus points for length of contract:

1 year term = 0 points;

2 years = 0 points;

3 years = 6 points;

4 years = 9 points;

5+ years = 12 points (noting no additional points for contracts longer than 5 years).

https://www.afl.com.au/news/1185312/afl-player-movement-and-list-management-changes

Historical examples for each compensation band with reported contract values are in the post below.

Lore · Sep 28, 2019

Historical Examples of Free Agent Compensation

Per The Age's article above, compensation is calculated by:

Ranking all players over 25 on their base salary that year. The highest paid is allocated 100 points, and the lowest is allocated 0 points. Contract length is a tie breaker.
2 additional points are added for every year of age under 31, to a maximum of 112 points for a very well-paid 25 year old. Players are re-ranked based on total points.
Players are then placed into bands (e.g. top 5%, 6-10%), with compensation awarded accordingly for those who change clubs.

As a result of this system, the exact value of the highest paid player's wages will differ from year to year, and CBA to CBA, as will the lowest and highest paid players in each band.

Top 5% = Band 1 Compensation, a 1st round pick (directly after the club's original pick in the first round).

Zachary Williams

6

Zachary Williams

Age
30

Ht

186cm

Wt
85kg

Pos.
D/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D
19.7

5

K
12.5

5

HB
7.2

4

M
4.0

4

T
3.1

5

MG
394.4

5

D
15.0

4

K
11.3

4

HB
3.7

3

M
3.0

3

T
2.3

3

MG
296.0

4

D
9.2

3

K
4.6

2

HB
4.6

4

M
1.6

2

T
1.8

4

RFA to Carlton (2020) – Contract reported to be worth $700,000–$900,000 per year (the latter including incentives) at the age of 26.
Joe Daniher

3

Joe Daniher

Age
30

Ht

201cm

Wt
96kg

Pos.
Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D
12.7

3

K
8.7

3

HB
4.0

3

M
5.8

5

T
1.3

3

G
1.8

5

No current season stats available

D
12.2

3

K
7.2

3

HB
5.0

4

M
5.4

5

T
0.6

3

G
0.6

3

RFA to Brisbane (2020) – Contract reported to be worth ~$833,000 per year at the age of 27.
Tom Lynch

19

Tom Lynch

Age
32

Ht

199cm

Wt
100kg

Pos.
Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D
13.5

3

K
8.8

3

HB
4.8

3

M
5.6

5

T
1.7

4

G
2.0

5

D
8.5

2

K
6.1

3

HB
2.4

2

M
3.0

3

T
0.8

1

G
1.4

5

D
12.6

4

K
5.8

3

HB
6.8

5

M
4.2

4

T
1.6

4

G
1.4

5

RFA to Richmond (2018) – Contract reported to be worth over $900,000 per year at the age of 25.
James Frawley

24

James Frawley

Age
36

Ht

193cm

Wt
96kg

Pos.
Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D
14.2

4

K
9.2

4

HB
5.1

4

M
5.1

5

T
1.9

4

MG
135.4

2

D
8.7

2

K
6.0

2

HB
2.7

2

M
3.0

3

T
0.9

2

MG
135.4

2

D
9.0

3

K
4.0

2

HB
5.0

4

M
1.8

2

T
1.2

3

to Hawthorn (2014) – Contract reported to be worth $550,000 per year at the age of 26.
Dale Thomas

Dale Thomas

Age
37

Ht

185cm

Wt
84kg

Pos.
Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D
19.1

5

K
12.0

4

HB
7.1

4

M
5.7

5

T
2.7

4

MG
286.6

4

No current season stats available

D
14.6

4

K
9.6

4

HB
5.0

4

M
5.4

5

T
1.4

4

RFA to Carlton (2013) – Contract reported to be worth $700,000 per year at the age of 26.
Lance Franklin

23

Lance Franklin

Age
37

Ht

199cm

Wt
106kg

Pos.
Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D
15.5

4

K
11.0

4

HB
4.5

3

M
5.5

5

T
2.6

4

G
3.1

5

No current season stats available

D
10.6

3

K
7.4

3

HB
3.2

3

M
3.2

4

T
1.4

4

G
1.2

4

RFA to Sydney Swans (2013) – Contract reported to be worth $1.1m per year at the age of 26.
Brendon Goddard

Brendon Goddard

Age
39

Ht

193cm

Wt
94kg

Pos.
D/M

Career

Season

Last 5

D
22.8

5

K
12.9

5

HB
9.9

5

M
6.3

5

T
2.8

4

MG
326.3

4

No current season stats available

D
14.8

4

K
10.0

4

HB
4.8

4

M
5.0

5

T
2.6

4

RFA to Essendon (2012) – Contract reported to be worth $675,000–$725,000 per year at the age of 27.

5-15% = Band 2 Compensation, end of 1st round pick (directly after the completion of the first round of the draft, in reverse ladder order among those with end of 1st round picks).

Scott Lycett

29

Scott Lycett

Age
32

Ht

203cm

Wt
102kg

Pos.
Ruck

Career

Season

Last 5

D
12.6

3

K
6.3

2

HB
6.3

4

CL
2.6

4

HO
19.0

5

D
11.3

3

K
5.7

2

HB
5.7

3

CL
4.2

5

HO
24.7

5

D
8.2

2

K
3.6

2

HB
4.6

4

CL
0.4

3

HO
5.0

5

to Port Adelaide (2018) – Contract reported to be worth about $600,000 per year at the age of 26.
Tom Rockliff

11

Tom Rockliff

Age
34

Ht

185cm

Wt
85kg

Pos.
Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D
23.9

5

K
13.2

5

HB
10.7

5

M
3.5

4

T
4.7

5

CL
4.7

5

D
20.5

5

K
10.7

4

HB
9.8

5

M
2.5

3

T
5.3

5

CL
3.0

4

D
15.8

4

K
9.0

4

HB
6.8

5

M
3.0

3

T
3.4

5

CL
2.8

5

RFA to Port Adelaide (2017) – Considered to be the top edge of band 2 in 2017, based on a contract of $650,000–$700,000 per year at the age of 27.
Steven Motlop

6

Steven Motlop

Age
33

Ht

183cm

Wt
82kg

Pos.
Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D
17.6

4

K
11.2

4

HB
6.4

4

M
3.3

3

T
2.5

4

G
1.1

4

D
12.0

3

K
6.4

3

HB
5.6

3

M
2.9

3

T
1.7

3

G
0.9

4

D
7.4

2

K
5.0

2

HB
2.4

3

M
1.0

1

T
1.6

4

G
0.4

3

to Port Adelaide (2017) – Considered to be the bottom edge of band 2 in 2017, based on a contract of $550,000–$600,000 per year at the age of 26.

15-30% = Band 3 Compensation, 2nd round pick (directly after the club's original pick in the second round).

Brad Crouch RFA to St Kilda (2020) – Contract reported to be worth around $600,000–$650,000 per year at the age of 26.
Aidan Corr

4

Aidan Corr

Age
30

Ht

195cm

Wt
96kg

Pos.
Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D
10.2

3

K
6.4

3

HB
3.8

3

M
3.4

3

T
1.9

4

MG
291.0

4

D
13.9

3

K
11.1

4

HB
2.7

2

M
5.3

5

T
1.1

2

MG
291.0

4

D
7.2

2

K
2.8

1

HB
4.4

4

M
2.0

3

T
1.6

4

RFA to North Melbourne (2020) – Contract reported to be worth around $550,000 per year, at the age of 26.
Brandon Ellis

4

Brandon Ellis

Age
31

Ht

181cm

Wt
81kg

Pos.
Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D
21.7

5

K
12.6

5

HB
9.0

5

M
5.3

5

T
2.4

4

CL
1.4

4

D
18.4

4

K
12.9

5

HB
5.6

3

M
4.7

4

T
2.3

3

CL
1.4

4

D
15.0

4

K
7.8

3

HB
7.2

5

M
3.4

4

T
2.2

4

CL
1.0

3

to Gold Coast (2019) – Considered to be the top edge of band 3 in 2019, the contract reported to be worth $600,000 per year at the age of 26.
Luke Dahlhaus

40

Luke Dahlhaus

Age
32

Ht

179cm

Wt
77kg

Pos.
Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D
20.8

5

K
9.2

4

HB
11.6

5

M
3.0

3

T
4.4

5

G
0.7

4

D
13.0

3

K
5.1

2

HB
7.9

4

M
2.9

3

T
2.7

4

G
0.6

4

D
14.2

4

K
6.6

3

HB
7.6

5

M
1.6

2

T
3.8

5

G
0.8

4

to Geelong (2018) – Contract reported to be worth around $500,000 per year, at the age of 26.
Jackson Trengove

8

Jackson Trengove

Age
34

Ht

197cm

Wt
97kg

Pos.
Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D
13.5

3

K
6.3

2

HB
7.2

4

M
3.7

4

T
2.7

4

MG
167.1

3

D
8.0

2

K
2.0

1

HB
6.0

3

M
1.0

1

T
4.0

5

MG
16.0

1

D
9.8

3

K
2.6

1

HB
7.2

5

M
2.2

3

T
3.4

5

RFA to Western Bulldogs (2017) – Contract reported to be worth $500,000–$550,000, at the age of 26.
Tyrone Vickery

Tyrone Vickery

Age
34

Ht

200cm

Wt
100kg

Pos.
Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D
10.1

3

K
5.6

2

HB
4.5

3

M
3.8

4

T
1.9

4

G
1.3

5

No current season stats available

D
9.8

3

K
2.8

1

HB
7.0

5

M
2.8

3

T
2.2

4

G
0.6

3

to Hawthorn (2016)
Daniel Wells

Daniel Wells

Age
39

Ht

181cm

Wt
84kg

Pos.
Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D
19.3

5

K
11.7

4

HB
7.5

5

M
3.9

4

T
2.6

4

G
0.6

4

No current season stats available

D
10.6

3

K
7.0

3

HB
3.6

3

M
3.0

3

T
2.6

4

G
0.6

3

to Collingwood (2016) - Contract reported to be worth $500,000 per year at the age of 31.
Christopher Mayne

16

Christopher Mayne

Age
36

Ht

188cm

Wt
84kg

Pos.
D/M

Career

Season

Last 5

D
14.5

4

K
6.9

3

HB
7.6

5

M
4.8

5

T
3.9

5

MG
133.0

2

D
16.3

4

K
7.6

3

HB
8.7

4

M
3.6

4

T
2.6

4

MG
117.1

2

D
9.8

3

K
5.2

2

HB
4.6

4

M
3.6

4

T
1.4

4

to Collingwood (2016)
Scott Selwood

Scott Selwood

Age
34

Ht

186cm

Wt
88kg

Pos.
Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D
19.1

5

K
8.8

3

HB
10.3

5

M
3.5

4

T
5.8

5

CL
3.7

5

No current season stats available

D
12.0

3

K
5.2

2

HB
6.8

5

M
2.8

3

T
1.2

3

to Geelong (2015) – 4 years at Geelong without re-signing but contract details unclear. Age of 25.
Shaun Higgins

4

Shaun Higgins

Age
36

Ht

184cm

Wt
89kg

Pos.
Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D
20.4

5

K
10.6

4

HB
9.8

5

M
3.9

4

T
3.2

5

G
1.0

4

D
21.8

5

K
10.3

4

HB
11.5

5

M
2.3

2

T
3.6

4

G
0.1

3

D
12.0

3

K
7.2

3

HB
4.8

4

M
2.8

3

T
1.8

4

G
0.6

3

to North Melbourne (2014) - Reportedly a 2 year deal at the age of 25.
Nick Malceski

Nick Malceski

Age
40

Ht

189cm

Wt
86kg

Pos.
Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D
18.7

5

K
13.1

5

HB
5.6

4

M
4.4

4

T
2.5

4

MG
342.5

5

No current season stats available

D
6.4

2

K
4.2

2

HB
2.2

2

M
2.0

3

T
0.6

3

to Gold Coast (2014) - Reportedly a 3 year deal at the age of 30.
Colin Sylvia

Colin Sylvia

Age
39

Ht

186cm

Wt
86kg

Pos.
Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D
16.9

4

K
10.1

4

HB
6.8

4

M
4.5

4

T
3.4

5

G
0.8

4

No current season stats available

D
6.6

2

K
4.8

2

HB
1.8

2

M
2.6

3

T
1.0

3

G
0.2

3

to Fremantle (2013) - Reportedly a 3 year deal at the age of 27.
Nick Dal Santo

Nick Dal Santo

Age
40

Ht

185cm

Wt
85kg

Pos.
Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D
22.9

5

K
13.0

5

HB
9.9

5

M
3.7

4

T
3.6

5

CL
4.0

5

No current season stats available

D
13.2

4

K
6.8

3

HB
6.4

4

M
3.0

3

T
2.2

4

to North Melbourne (2013) - Reportedly a 3 year deal at the age of 29.
Danyle Pearce

Danyle Pearce

Age
38

Ht

178cm

Wt
79kg

Pos.
Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D
19.8

5

K
13.1

5

HB
6.7

4

M
3.2

3

T
2.7

4

G
0.5

3

No current season stats available

D
9.8

3

K
7.2

3

HB
2.6

3

M
3.6

4

T
0.6

3

G
0.8

4

to Fremantle (2012) - Reportedly a 2 year deal at the age of 26.
Troy Chaplin

Troy Chaplin

Age
38

Ht

195cm

Wt
97kg

Pos.
Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D
15.8

4

K
8.8

3

HB
6.9

4

M
5.5

5

T
1.8

4

MG
194.4

3

No current season stats available

D
13.2

4

K
7.2

3

HB
6.0

4

M
5.4

5

T
0.6

3

to Richmond (2012) - Reportedly a 4 year deal at the age of 26.

30-50% Band 4 Compensation = end of 2nd round pick (directly after the completion of the second round of the draft).

George Hewett (2021) – Reportedly a four year deal at the age of 25.
Mabior Chol to Gold Coast (2021) – Reportedly a four year deal at the age of 24.
Rory Atkins

2

Rory Atkins

Age
30

Ht

185cm

Wt
82kg

Pos.
Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D
19.9

5

K
12.1

4

HB
7.9

5

M
4.6

4

T
1.9

4

MG
367.4

5

D
9.0

2

K
5.0

2

HB
4.0

3

M
0.3

1

T
2.7

4

MG
147.7

3

D
14.2

4

K
8.8

4

HB
5.4

4

M
4.0

4

T
1.2

3

MG
217.8

4

UFA to Gold Coast (2020) - Reportedly a five year deal worth $400,000 per year at the age of 26.
Adam Tomlinson

20

Adam Tomlinson

Age
31

Ht

194cm

Wt
95kg

Pos.
Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D
15.5

4

K
9.8

4

HB
5.8

4

M
4.8

5

T
2.3

4

D
15.5

4

K
9.8

4

HB
5.8

3

M
4.8

4

T
2.3

3

D
15.5

4

K
9.8

4

HB
5.8

4

M
4.8

5

T
2.3

4

to Melbourne (2019) - Reportedly a four year deal at the age of 26.
Reece Conca

6

Reece Conca

Age
32

Ht

181cm

Wt
84kg

Pos.
Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D
18.2

5

K
10.8

4

HB
7.4

5

M
3.4

3

T
3.6

5

MG
228.0

3

D
13.8

3

K
11.2

4

HB
2.7

2

M
3.7

4

T
2.5

3

MG
228.0

3

D
15.8

4

K
8.0

3

HB
7.8

5

M
4.2

4

T
2.0

4

to Fremantle (2018) - Reportedly a three year deal at the age of 26.
Matthew Leuenberger

Matthew Leuenberger

Age
36

Ht

202cm

Wt
105kg

Pos.
Ruck

Career

Season

Last 5

D
12.0

3

K
5.6

2

HB
6.4

4

CL
2.4

4

HO
24.1

5

No current season stats available

D
5.8

2

K
2.2

1

HB
3.6

3

HO
8.0

5

RFA to Essendon (2015) - Reportedly a three year deal at the age of 27.
Matthew Suckling

1

Matthew Suckling

Age
36

Ht

187cm

Wt
85kg

Pos.
Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D
20.2

5

K
13.4

5

HB
6.8

4

M
5.2

5

T
1.6

4

MG
396.8

5

D
10.2

3

K
7.0

3

HB
3.2

2

M
3.8

4

T
0.3

1

MG
208.8

3

D
16.6

4

K
9.0

4

HB
7.6

5

M
3.6

4

T
0.8

3

to Western Bulldogs (2015)

50-??% = Band 5 Compensation, 3rd round pick (directly after the club's original pick in the third round).

Jake Kelly to Essendon (2021) – Reportedly a three year deal at the age of 26.
Isaac Smith

7

Isaac Smith

Age
35

Ht

188cm

Wt
83kg

Pos.
M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D
21.3

5

K
13.0

5

HB
8.4

5

M
5.5

5

T
2.9

4

CL
1.7

4

D
19.4

4

K
11.1

4

HB
8.3

4

M
3.8

4

T
2.5

3

CL
1.3

4

D
19.2

5

K
10.6

4

HB
8.6

5

M
7.6

5

T
2.0

4

CL
0.6

3

UFA to Geelong (2020)
Cameron Ellis-Yolmen

28

Cameron Ellis-yolmen

Age
31

Ht

190cm

Wt
103kg

Pos.
Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D
18.6

5

K
8.6

3

HB
9.9

5

M
2.7

3

T
4.9

5

CL
4.5

5

D
10.3

3

K
7.3

3

HB
3.0

2

M
2.3

2

T
1.7

3

CL
4.0

5

D
17.4

5

K
8.6

4

HB
8.8

5

M
2.8

3

T
3.2

5

CL
4.2

5

to Brisbane (2019)
Alex Fasolo

Alex Fasolo

Age
32

Ht

181cm

Wt
84kg

Pos.
Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D
13.6

3

K
8.4

3

HB
5.2

4

M
4.4

4

T
2.5

4

G
1.3

5

No current season stats available

D
9.2

3

K
5.8

3

HB
3.4

3

M
3.2

4

T
2.0

4

G
0.8

4

to Carlton (2018)
Quinten Lynch

Quinten Lynch

Age
41

Ht

192cm

Wt
103kg

Pos.
Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D
14.4

4

K
9.9

4

HB
4.5

3

M
5.4

5

T
1.4

3

G
1.3

5

No current season stats available

D
9.2

3

K
6.8

3

HB
2.4

3

M
2.8

3

T
1.0

3

G
1.6

5

to Collingwood (2012)
Brent Moloney

Brent Moloney

Age
40

Ht

182cm

Wt
87kg

Pos.
Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D
19.2

5

K
10.6

4

HB
8.7

5

M
3.0

3

T
3.7

5

CL
5.6

5

No current season stats available

D
9.4

3

K
6.8

3

HB
2.6

3

M
2.2

3

T
0.6

3

to Brisbane (2012)
Jared Rivers

Jared Rivers

Age
40

Ht

194cm

Wt
94kg

Pos.
Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D
12.3

3

K
6.7

3

HB
5.6

4

M
5.0

5

T
2.3

4

MG
155.2

2

No current season stats available

D
5.8

2

K
3.6

2

HB
2.2

2

M
2.0

3

T
2.6

4

to Geelong (2012)
Clinton Young

Clinton Young

Age
38

Ht

189cm

Wt
88kg

Pos.
D/M

Career

Season

Last 5

D
15.9

4

K
11.2

4

HB
4.7

3

M
5.8

5

T
2.6

4

No current season stats available

D
7.4

2

K
5.6

3

HB
1.8

2

M
3.4

4

T
1.4

4

to Collingwood (2012)

Suma Magic · Sep 28, 2019

If this needs to be moved then all good.

I have taken the compo formula as outlined in an article by Jake Niall a couple of years ago.

It says:

all players 25+ are ranked by salary
they then get a score of 0-100
they then add points for age: 25 (12), 26 (10), 27 (8), 28 (6), 29 (4), 30 (2), 31+ (0)
this gives all players a score between 0-112
these scores are then used to work out the players with the x% highest scores to see who fits into bands
the bands are Band 1 (0-5%), band 2 (5-15%), band 3 (15-30%), band 4 (30-50%) and band 5 (50-?%). They didnt specify when band 5 cuts off and no compo is paid.

For the output below I assumed that there is an even number of players aged 25-31+. This probably isn't right, and could always re-do it with better data.

It means you can look at a player, knowing his age, and you can see what sort of salary they need to qualify for each compo band. This still means you have to guess their salary compared to other players aged 25+, but I suppose it is a step forward from the current guessing approach.

Interested in any feedback e.g. if I've made mistakes or just generally.

Lore · Oct 7, 2019

The above posts have been updated to include:

Discussion of deficit and surplus in draft bidding as per discussion with Giant Strides Dylan82 and dlanod with reference to information from Lions_Insider

A visual representation of the proportion of draftees playing X AFL games from ADL9798.

Examples of past compensation given for free agency transfers

RussellEbertHandball · Oct 23, 2019

Re this bit in Post #9 about going into deficit points and carry forward, I can't find it in any of the May 2019 AFL rules or elsewhere but in this article in October 2016 the AFL stated its against next year's selection from the same round not as originally implemented against next years first selection the club has.

Deficit

Click to expand...

If a club goes into deficit to match a bid on a father-son or academy player, the deficit is applied before the free agency/trade period the following year so that clubs can't avoid paying the deficit by trading the picks out. Once it's been applied that's it, it doesn't get reapplied on new picks you trade in.

This source appears to be slightly out of date, as a deficit comes off the club's selection in the equivalent round of the following year (not the first pick).

View attachment 759618

Click to expand...

Source: https://www.afl.com.au/staticfile/AFL Tenant/AFL/Files/Father-son-bidding-system.pdf

Father-son picks could put Pies into draft points deficit

Chasing father-son prospects now could see Pies in debt at 2017 draft

www.afl.com.au

COLLINGWOOD could need to go into a draft points debt next year if it chooses to match earlier than expected bids on father-son prospects Josh Daicos and Callum Brown.
.....
The AFL added a safeguard to its complex system last year to protect the future first-round picks of clubs who want to take a father-son or academy player late in the draft.

It means that a club will not risk pushing back its first pick in the following year's draft if it goes into a points debt by choosing a later-round selection.

Instead, any points incurred for later round players can be repaid in the round the bid is received. A first-round draft position would only be altered if a bid came in the previous year's first round, which seems unlikely for the Collingwood pair.

This means that if the Pies go into deficit by matching an early third-round bid for Daicos, then their third-round pick next year would be shuffled down the order to make up the leftover points.

Lore · Oct 24, 2019

RussellEbertHandball said:
Re this bit in Post #9 about going into deficit points and carry forward, I can't find it in any of the May 2019 AFL rules or elsewhere but in this article in October 2016 the AFL stated its against next year's selection from the same round not as originally implemented against next years first selection the club has.

Father-son picks could put Pies into draft points deficit

Chasing father-son prospects now could see Pies in debt at 2017 draft

www.afl.com.au

COLLINGWOOD could need to go into a draft points debt next year if it chooses to match earlier than expected bids on father-son prospects Josh Daicos and Callum Brown.
.....
The AFL added a safeguard to its complex system last year to protect the future first-round picks of clubs who want to take a father-son or academy player late in the draft.

It means that a club will not risk pushing back its first pick in the following year's draft if it goes into a points debt by choosing a later-round selection.

Instead, any points incurred for later round players can be repaid in the round the bid is received. A first-round draft position would only be altered if a bid came in the previous year's first round, which seems unlikely for the Collingwood pair.

This means that if the Pies go into deficit by matching an early third-round bid for Daicos, then their third-round pick next year would be shuffled down the order to make up the leftover points.

Yep I noted that in the section you quoted. For whatever reason they changed it without announcing the change... how very unlike the AFL to change things without telling anyone

GUMBLETRON · Oct 30, 2019

Anyone know what the rules are around the various list lodgement dates?

E.g. list lodgement 1 is tomorrow - are clubs obliged to have either re-signed or delisted everyone by then? Or can they keep uncontracted players hanging while they chase DFAs or plan for the draft?

Lore · Oct 30, 2019

GUMBLETRON said:
Anyone know what the rules are around the various list lodgement dates?

E.g. list lodgement 1 is tomorrow - are clubs obliged to have either re-signed or delisted everyone by then? Or can they keep uncontracted players hanging while they chase DFAs or plan for the draft?

Players are bound to their club until the conclusion of the draft. List lodgement requires clubs to be able to demonstrate that they are within the list size limits and have the ability to meet their TPP obligations in the following year, but there are three list lodgement dates and there’s nothing stopping them going over the list sizes/tpp in between those dates (as long as everything is confirmed and within the rules at the last list lodgement). I remember reading the rule about this but I must’ve posted about it somewhere else as it’s not in this thread

GUMBLETRON · Oct 30, 2019

Lore said:
Players are bound to their club until the conclusion of the draft.

Uncontracted players?

Lore · Oct 30, 2019

GUMBLETRON said:
Uncontracted players?

I believe so

Lore · Oct 30, 2019

List Lodgements

There are three main list lodgement dates each year.

The deadlines for list lodgement are typically;

(1) 2pm on the 31st of October,

(2) 2pm on the 14th of November, and

(3) a third date to be determined by the AFL prior to the pre-season draft (required for those seeking to participate in the pre-season draft)

(4) a final date following the conclusion of the pre-season draft

All times and dates may also be altered by the AFL as needed.

On each lodgement date, the number of players included on the primary list may not exceed the list size limits detailed here.

Clubs must also be able to show full and complete details of all Football payments expected to be made in the relevant year and be able to demonstrate that it has not exceeded and will not exceed its TPP in that year, detailed here.

Failing to comply to each of these can incur sanctions in accordance with the AFL Rules.

AFL Rules 2021 said:
6.1 Lodgement of Primary Lists of Players

(a) Lodge Primary Lists
(i) Each Club shall advise the AFL of the Players included on its Primary List by lodging by 2.00 p.m. on the 31 October in each year (or such other date or time determined by the AFL) the List prescribed in Schedule 1 as Form 7. The number of Players included on the Primary List must not exceed the number as determined from time to time by the Commission under Rule 5.2.
Sanction: 10 Units
(ii) Each Club shall re-submit its Primary List to the AFL of the Players included on its Primary List by lodging by 2.00 p.m. on the 14 November in each year (or such other date or time determined by the AFL) the List prescribed in Schedule 1 as Form 7. The number of Players included on the Primary List must not exceed the number as determined from time to time by the Commission under Rule 5.2.
Sanction: 10 Units
(iii) At the same time as the submission of Primary Lists in accordance with Rule 6.1(a)(i) and 6.1(a)(ii), all Clubs shall deliver to the AFL full and complete details of all Football Payments expected to be made in respect of the services provided by each of its Players during the relevant Football Year in the form which may be specified from time to time by the AFL and each Club must demonstrate that it has not exceeded and will not exceed its Total Player Payments for that Football Year. The form delivered under this Rule must be signed by the Chief Executive/General Manager and Football Manager of the relevant Club.
Sanction: Maximum 100 Units
(Also refer Rule 28 and Rule 29)
(iv) A Club is ineligible to participate in the Pre-Season Draft Selection Meeting if the Investigations Manager in his absolute discretion considers that the details of all Football Payments provided by the Club under Rule 6.1(a)(iii) shows that the Club has exceeded the Total Player Payments for the relevant Football Year, or the Club is likely to exceed the Total Player Payments for the relevant Football Year if a Player or Players were selected at the Pre-Season Draft Selection Meeting
(See also Rule 7.12)
Sanction: 10 Units

7.2 Pre-Season and Final List Lodgement

(a) Each Club wanting to participate in the Pre-Season Draft shall advise the AFL of the Players included on its Primary List by lodging with the AFL the List prescribed in Schedule 1 as Form 12 on or before the date and time determined by the AFL. The Primary List shall be selected from:
(i) its immediately preceding Lists;
(ii) Players entitled to be included on a Primary List pursuant to any other provision of these Rules,
such Primary List being less in number than the maximum number of Players determined pursuant to Rule 5.2.
(b) Each Club shall re-submit its Primary List to the AFL by lodging with the AFL the List prescribed in Schedule 1 as Form 12, on a time and date determined by the AFL, which will not be before the Pre-Season Draft Selection Meeting.
The Primary List shall be selected from:
(i) its immediately preceding Lists;
(ii) Players entitled to be included on a Primary List pursuant to any other provision of these Rules, such Primary List must not exceed the number of Players as determined from time to time by the Commission pursuant to Rule 5.2.

AFL Rules 2021

Lore · Oct 31, 2019

GUMBLETRON said:
Uncontracted players?

Found it, specifically it's 4.8b:

4.7 Players Bound to One Club Not to be Registered With Another Club

A Player who is, in accordance with these Rules, bound to any Club may not be registered as a Player with any other Club until he ceases to be bound to the first- mentioned Club. Valid registration with a Club will negate any previous registration with any other Club.

4.8 Players Bound if Listed

(a) A Player shall be bound to a Club if he is properly included on the Club's List in accordance with these Rules. This Rule does not apply to a Player listed on a Club’s Rookie List, in which case Rule 10.3 applies.
(b) If a contract between a Club and a Player expires on 31 October in any year, the Player shall remain registered as a Player of and be bound to the Club until the conclusion of the National Draft Selection Meeting in the relevant year. This Rule does not apply if the Club deletes the Player’s name from its List during the period 31 October until the time and day when the de-listed Player is able to nominate for the National Draft Selection Meeting under Rule 6.2(c).
(c) If a Player remains bound to a Club by reason of Rule 4.8(b), the Club must pay to the Player an allowance in the amount determined from time to time by the AFL and AFLPA.

10.8 Rookie Player not Bound to Club

A Rookie Player shall not be bound to a Club if he is listed on a Club’s Rookie List but the parties do not enter into a Contract of Service. In such circumstances:
(a) the Player may play for a club competing in any competition other than the AFL Competition; and
(b) the Player is eligible to be selected by any Club at the next National Draft Selection Meeting if he nominates himself for the National Draft Selection Meeting.

AFL Rules 2019

(for the record, 6.2c just says "a date and time determined by the AFL"... it's not particularly insightful)

edit: This continues to be the case in 2021, with identical clauses at 4.8 and 10.8 in the AFL Rules published in February 2021.

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