AFL players salary list: how the national minimum wage compares

What is the AFL players salary list?

The AFL players salary list is the annual breakdown of gross payments made to every player on an AFL club's primary list. It is released by the AFL to clubs and reported by media outlets such as. The list shows how many players fall into each pay bracket, from those earning under $200,000 to the elite million-dollar earners. Because AFL players are covered by a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) rather than modern awards, the list provides a useful benchmark for how professional sport earnings compare to the national minimum wage and the broader labour market.

Awards versus the national minimum wage: where AFL players sit

The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour, or $1,004.90 per week, annualising to $52,255. That gives a salary index of 48.2 when measured against the national full-time adult ordinary-time earnings line of $108,352 (index 100). In contrast, the average AFL player in 2025 earned $505,961 — an index of roughly 467. Even the lowest-paid AFL player in 2025 earned above $100,000, which is nearly double the national minimum wage and sits at an index of about 92.

Modern awards set minimum wages for most Australian employees, but AFL players operate entirely outside that system. Their pay is determined by the CBA, which guarantees a minimum salary for each listed player and sets a total player payments cap per club. In 2025, the average payment for a listed player rose 10.2% to $505,961, while gross player payments reached $327.65 million across 663 players.

How the salary index applies to AFL earnings

The salary index compares a yearly gross figure to the national line of 100, which represents full-time adult ordinary-time earnings. For an AFL player on the average salary of $505,961, the index is calculated as:

505,961 ÷ 108,352 × 100 ≈ 467

That means the average AFL player earns about 4.7 times the national benchmark. For the 58 players who earned $1 million or more in 2025, the index ranges from 923 (for $1 million) up to 1,477 (for $1.6 million). The two highest-paid players in 2025 each earned $1.6 million or more, placing them at an index above 1,477 — more than 14 times the national line.

By comparison, an employee on the national minimum wage has an index of 48.2, and a worker on the entry-level award floor of $25.74 per hour (index roughly 47) is similarly positioned. The gap illustrates how the CBA has pushed AFL player pay far beyond award rates, especially after the new CBA took effect in 2023.

Growth in the AFL players salary list

The number of million-dollar players has exploded in recent years. In 2023, 19 players earned $1 million or more. By 2025, that number had more than doubled to 58. The average salary jumped from $441,464 in 2023 to $505,961 in 2025. Gross player payments rose from $280.9 million to $327.7 million over the same period. The CBA, which runs until 2027, is expected to push the average number of million-dollar players per club from three to five within two years.

This growth is not just at the top end. In 2023, every primary listed player earned more than $100,000 for the first time. In 2025, only 107 players earned under $200,000, down from 128 in 2023. The middle brackets have also swelled: 163 players earned between $400,001 and $600,000 in 2025, compared to 91 in 2023.

State and industry context

To put AFL earnings in perspective, consider the state-based salary indices. The national line of 100 is $108,352. In Western Australia, the index is 106.9 (annualised $115,825), while in Tasmania it is 88.6 ($96,008). An average AFL player earning $505,961 would have an index of 467 nationally, but relative to WA earnings it would be 437, and relative to Tasmania it would be 527. Even the lowest-paid AFL player at $100,000 would sit above the Tasmanian average.

Across industries, the mining sector has the highest index at 154.7, while retail trade sits at 75.9 and accommodation and food services at 72.5. The average AFL player's index of 467 dwarfs all of these, reflecting the unique nature of professional sport remuneration under a CBA rather than an award.

Key takeaways from the AFL players salary list

The AFL players salary list shows a workforce that is paid far above the national minimum wage and most award-covered employees. The CBA ensures that even the lowest-paid listed player earns more than double the national minimum wage. The salary index helps quantify that gap: an average AFL player sits at index 467, while a minimum-wage worker sits at 48.2. For those interested in how other pay rates compare, the pay guides section explains award classifications, and the how the index works page details the calculation.

Understanding the AFL players salary list also highlights the role of collective bargaining in setting pay. Unlike employees under modern awards, AFL players negotiate as a group, which has driven rapid growth in both average and top-end salaries. The 2025 list confirms that the CBA has delivered substantial increases across all brackets, with the number of million-dollar players more than doubling in a single year.