Timeline
- 13.03 – the AFL decides to push ahead with the season, however advice from the federal government and medical authorities has seen the banning of spectators.
- 16.03 – The AFL has cut the men’s competition to 17 rounds in response to the coronavirus pandemic, but it is yet to decide whether it will suspend the start of the season. Womens season will be shortened
- 16.03 – All state leagues are officially suspended
- 18.03 – AFL officially decides to proceed with Round 1.
- 18.03 – Reports that Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is in discussions with league power-brokers to find a way to assist clubs that are at risk financially, with a secure loan that could be worth “hundreds of millions of dollars”.
- 19.03 – Round 1 season opener between Richmond and Carlton is played without crowds.
- 20.03 – The AFL will shut down for 30 days if a single player tests positive for coronavirus, chief executive Gillon McLachlan said.
- 20.03 – The 12-member AFL executive – the senior figures who run the game – are set to take a pay cut of about 20 per cent, the same percentage that the senior coaches of the 18 AFL clubs have agreed to accept to help their clubs endure amid the unprecedented financial crisis caused by the coronavirus.
- 20.03 – AFL coaches also offer 20% off
- 22.03 – AFL formally suspends season indefinitely There will be no AFLW premier.
- 23.03 – The AFL confirmed 80 per cent of its own staff would be stood down from next Monday until at least the end of May, following the suspension and possible abandonment of the season.
- 23.03 – AFL players offered to half their pay packets effective immediately in the wake of the season being suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. The playing group agreed to have their salaries slashed in half for the next two months as the game sits in a period of postponement.
- 23.03 – the AFL wants a 79% cut in player wages.
- 25.03 – The AFLPA confirms that the AFL has asked for greater cuts The AFLPA asks to look at the books and appeals for more transparency from the league.
- 26.03 – league boss Gillon McLachlan has pledged to match his own pay cut with that of the players in a bid to ease tensions.
- 28.03 – Stand-off between the AFL and its players ends, with players agreeing to a 50 per cent pay cut until the end of May owing to the coronavirus shutdown. They are also prepared to play games until December to ensure the season is completed. In an agreement reached on Friday, the players’ pay cut will increase to 70 per cent if the season is delayed beyond 31 May, but will stay at 50 per cent when games recommence.
- 30.03 – The AFL secures a loan through ANZ and NAB, believed to be worthup to $600 million, using Etihad Stadium as collateral.
- 30.03 – The AFLs 18 clubs joined forces to create a survival plan to ensure their long-term existence. The chief executives have devised three crucial elements to help survive the game’s economic disaster: finance, membership and state leagues.
LISTEN | AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan joined Gerard for an extended chat on dealing with the coronavirus crisis, retaining all 18 clubs, purchasing Marvel Stadium, potentially playing on Boxing Day and a lot more.
Link: https://t.co/x1waZjPamx
— Whateley (@WhateleySEN) March 30, 2020
References
- 16.03- AFL announces reduced 17-round season in response to coronavirus
- 16.03 – State leagues on hold due to coronavirus
- 18.03 – AFL to start the 2020 season amid coronavirus pandemic
- 18.03 – Victorian government’s multi-million dollar lifeline to save AFL from ‘nuclear bomb’
- 20.03 – AFL chief Gillon McLachlan says if a player tests positive for coronavirus, the league will shut for 30 days
- 20.03 – McLachlan’s 11 take 20 per cent pay cut
- 20.03 – AFL coaches agree to take massive pay cut
- 22.03 – AFL suspends season in response to coronavirus, with AFLW season cancelled — but NRL plays on for now
- 23.03 – AFL, clubs stand down almost entire workforce on horrendous day for football
- 23.03 – AFL players offer to take 50 per cent pay cut
- 23.03 – Players agree to take huge pay cut but AFL wants more
- 25.03 – DANGERFIELD AND AFLPA WANT GREATER TRANSPARENCY FROM AFL ON PAY CUT CRISIS
- 26.03 – AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan pledges to match players’ salary sacrifice amid COVID-19 crisis
- 28.03 – AFL and players agree to pay deal during coronavirus shutdown
- 30.03 – NAB, ANZ come to the party as AFL secures huge loan
- 30.03 – ‘Stunning’ move as AFL club bosses join ranks