The AFL and AFLPA are pleased to announce that a Heads of Agreement (HOA) has been reached for the player movement period ahead of the 2023 AFLW Season (Season Eight).

Clubs and players were contacted today with a summary of the arrangements for a 'Priority Signing Period' as determined by the AFL.

Clubs and players also communicated a 'Sign and Trade Period' that will take place as a new CBA is being negotiated between the AFL and AFLPA.

KEY DATES

  • Priority Signing Period (PSP): 1 March (9am) – 8 March (2pm)
  • Sign and Trade Period: 10 March (9am) – 20 March (3pm)

Priority Signing Period

The Priority Signing Period (PSP) will allow the four AFLW Season Seven expansion clubs – Essendon, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and the Sydney Swans – to sign 'PSP players' without a trade.

'PSP players' are those who have completed three or more AFLW seasons.

Essendon will be permitted to sign up to two players during the PSP. They will also be permitted to offer a 'Secondary Relocation Reimbursement/Payment' to players signed during the PSP.

Hawthorn will be permitted to sign up to three players during the PSP. They will also be permitted to offer a 'Secondary Relocation Reimbursement/Payment' to players signed during the PSP.

Port Adelaide will be granted two additional list spots for Season Eight. They will be permitted to sign up to three players during the PSP. They will also be permitted to offer a 'Secondary Relocation Reimbursement/Payment' to players signed during the PSP. They will be permitted to sign one underage player during the PSP.

Sydney Swans will be granted three additional list spots for Season Eight, reducing to for two for Season Nine. They will be permitted to sign up to five players during the PSP. They will also be permitted to offer a 'Secondary Relocation Reimbursement/Payment' to players signed during the PSP.

The Sydney Swans were also offered the ability to offer a longer-term contract with an additional two seasons more than allowed in the Season Eight list rules for two players. They are also permitted to offer a longer-term contract with an additional one season more than allowed in Season Eight list rules for three players.

The number of PSP players a club can lose is capped and based on their finishing position post-finals in Season Seven:

  • Clubs that finished 1st – 4th: no more than five players able to be lost through PSP
  • Clubs that finished 5th – 8th: no more than two players able to be lost through PSP
  • Clubs that finished 9th – 18th: no more than one player able to be lost through PSP

The AFLW List committee will determine any relevant compensation for clubs at the conclusion of the PSP.

Compensation will include draft picks to be used in the AFLW Draft leading into Season Nine of the AFLW. Any compensation will not be permitted to be traded in the Sign and Trade Period.

Sign and Trade Period

The sign and trade period will open at Friday 10 March at 9am and close at Monday 20 March at 3pm.

Clubs will pay players the pay rates from the existing CBA, with any potential changes applied retrospectively according to the ongoing CBA negotiations.

  • 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 will not have to make a minimum number of list changes in the sign and trade period.

Further information regarding detailed timelines will be forthcoming.

"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," AFL General Manager Women's Football Nicole Livingstone said.

AFLPA General Manager Player and Stakeholder Relations Brett Murphy said: "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."