The AFL will allow clubs an extra list spot for First Nations players – including senior players who have been delisted – as part of the league’s push to arrest the decline of Indigenous playing ranks.
The AFL Commission has agreed to the change, which gives clubs the option – it is entirely voluntary – of adding an additional category B rookie spot for the AFL and a rookie list spot for AFLW if the player is designated as First Nations. The list spot is available for the 2027 season.
The extra spot for First Nations players allows clubs to draft players who have been delisted, such as Carlton’s Zac Williams, who can act as mentors to younger Indigenous players on the list and bolster depth.
Clubs have been informed of the rule change, which is a response to the critical decline of First Nations players over the past five years, as numbers have dwindled from the high-water mark of more than 11 per cent of the AFL in the early 2010s.
Critics of the rule within the game have argued that bolstering numbers through the extra list spot does not necessarily prolong careers or create more sustainable pathways for First Nations players.
The AFL had identified that First Nations players’ careers were, on average, one year shorter than non-Indigenous players in both the men’s and women’s competitions.
But the AFL, with the backing of the AFL Players’ Association, has pushed on with what is the most radical step yet to arrest the decline, which has coincided with cuts to football department budgets post-COVID and a reluctance of clubs to take risks with limited list spots.
Richmond and West Coast were among the clubs that warned during the COVID-19 period that the cuts to football budgets would impact adversely on First Nations players’ participation.
One caveat to the rule is that clubs cannot delist a First Nations player and then immediately re-draft them as a rookie, or what clubs call “re-rookie” the player.
There are 66 First Nations players on AFL club lists – about 8 per cent of the total playing group – and 22 First Nations players across the AFLW.
“First Nations representation across the game is a key focus area for the AFL, and the introduction of this mechanism will go a significant way to providing opportunity for more First Nations players to play at the highest level,” said AFL executive general manager football performance, Greg Swann said.
“Our game as we know it has been shaped by First Nations players and we want to ensure we continue to provide the best opportunity for First Nations players of the future to thrive.”
Jake Niall is a Walkley award-winning sports journalist and chief AFL writer for The Age.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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