Re: Women's Pay
Reply #7 –
LOL no crap, but maybe you can empathise with what women have been dealing with for a hundred odd years. It doesn't feel great being held back professionally because of your gender does it? You know what would be even worse? Doing the same job, but getting paid less.
Last year the girls got nothing!
The fact of the matter is, there are many local footballers getting paid more than the majority of the players in this womens league.
Not many though, often the ones that do are Ex.AFL players who pull in the crowds or guns who help clubs win flags. Being just a player in a team doesn't count for much in terms of wages, the players getting not much train just as hard as the marque players, and last year the girls got nothing!
People need to stop seeing this as a situation where the players should be paid based on what they're bringing in. This is an investment, and like any investment, often your outlay is going to take some time before it's showing a return. Shortchanging players is only going to delay the development of the comp. The more talent you can bring in, the better the sport becomes. Unfortunately for a number of players, the financial support the AFL are offering isn't enough to disrupt their current professional lives.
I'm sad for those players who cannot commit, but where does the money come from?
Most people who make it in sport start off life as beggars, they have to take their chances, I know plenty of young guys who would quit their jobs and finance it themselves if they were able to get such an opportunity that the girls are getting.
For guys AFL is elite not developmental, I know guys who would pay for the chance that the girls are getting paid for!
No one is suggesting that these players get paid the same as their male counterparts yet, but why shouldn't the best players in the game be getting at least the same amount as an AFL rookie?
Current AFL Rookies and those players at lower levels getting the big money work and train 48 weeks of the year, they get four weeks off and are expected to do their own training in the off period. Even at the higher amateur levels Pre-season starts in a week or two. The girls whole contracted season goes for about 6 months(Including Pre-Season) with at most about a dozen games.
I'm all for the girls comp, but it's way too early to be putting out their hand for big money, they are entertainers in an entertainment industry and you don't get the big money before you become a star! But I concede the AFL should make an effort to cover some of the girls costs, perhaps they need to subsidise accommodation and the like.
With regards to mateinone's original question, I for one will be supporting the comp. I'll buy an additional membership, go to the games and have already contributed to Carlton's Game Changers initiative. I see this as something far more important than just football though. It's finally providing young girls a pathway to achieve professional success in a team sport in Australia. I just wish I was 15 years younger (and had a load more talent) so I would have something to aspire to myself.
The girls have this inherent problem, most women who watch AFL are not interested in watching them!
It's really only football tragics like myself that are interested in watching all levels of football. We are a very very small minority and if we are the only fans they are likely to regularly attract they won't be earning a lot of money.