NRL Player CBA signed

The NRL and RLPA have announced an historic Collective Bargaining Agreement, which will deliver the best deal to players in the game’s history.

The $980 million deal will deliver extra funding for the player retirement fund, for players forced into early retirement due to injury, a world class wellbeing and education program, and guaranteed leave entitlements.

The CBA includes

• The deal will see players receive a 29.5 per cent share of forecast game revenue
• A 52% increase in take-home pay for players over the next five years
• A revised contracting and payment model that provides more certainty, clarity and protection for players
• The average wage of a top 30 player will rise to $330,000 a year while the minimum wage will be increased to $100,000 next year and $120,000 in 2022
• The salary cap will rise to $9.4 million next year and more than $10 million in 2022
• A new Injury Hardship Fund will be set up to support players facing early retirement due to serious injury, replacing the Career Ending Injury Insurance scheme
• Additional time-off during the week for personal development and more certainty around annual leave entitlements
• An allocation of $3.75 million for the elite women’s game – with the NRL and RLPA working together on new women’s programs to enable more females to play Rugby League and means up to 40 players can be contracted for the first time.
• Increased Integrity safeguards to minimise risks to the game
• The RLPA and players to have a greater role in the running of the game
• the NRL will have greater powers to monitor the integrity of the game, which might include forcing players to hand over sensitive information such as phone records or bank statements.
• The NRL has also agreed to throw open its books as part of the agreement, giving the RLPA access to its financial records.
• the NRL will make discretionary payments to at least one player across each 16 clubs from next season (The marketing marquee fund). The NRL will cough up $7.5 million across the five years of the deal to 32 players across the game.

References

• Historic CBA Signed
• Win – win for players and NRL under new deal
• NRL players to enjoy massive pay rise as part of new deal reached with RLPA
• NRL to directly pay players for the first time.