The AFL’s vision is for everyone to love and connect with Australia’s game. To realise this vision, it's imperative that our workforce is reflective of the rich diversity of this country and welcomes everyone.
We are committed to building a high performing team, that finds strengths in our differences and are united by our passion for making a positive impact in the communities in which AFL is played.
We also remain bold in our ambition to embed gender equity in everything we do.
Following the second annual release of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency pay gap data, the AFL is pleased to report that our median pay gap both base salary and total remuneration across the AFL workforce remains at zero, for the second consecutive year.
>> VIEW THE AFL'S WGEA EMPLOYER PAY GAP STATEMENT
The reportable AFL Group Workforce includes all our permanent AFL team members, as well as casual event staff at Marvel Stadium, all AFL, AFLW, VFL, VFLW and Coates League umpires and all casual game development staff delivering programs across the country.
For the first time, CEO remuneration data or equivalent has been included in this reporting period. This means that the gender pay gap data released for this reporting period (2023-2024), is not directly comparable to the gender pay gap data released last year (2022 – 2023).
Although the AFL’s reportable median pay gap is zero, the average mean total remuneration pay gap at the AFL is 3.9 per cent.
However, when we compare our 2022-23 to 2023-24 reporting data ‘like for like’, our average (mean) total remuneration is lower at 3.1per cent (compared to 3.4 per cent last year) .
The AFL remains steadfast in its commitment to continuing to make progress towards true gender equity, focusing on increasing representation of women at all levels and in all areas.
Since the development of our inaugural Gender Equity Action Plan back in 2018 we have made significant in-roads and work is now underway on the development of our third plan.
In 2025, we have four women on the AFL Executive and we’ve continued to increase the representation of women across our team with women now making up 45 per cent of our core AFL workforce – up by 7 per cent since 2021. Today 51 per cent of our Senior Leaders are women, which is a significant rise from 16 per cent in 2018.
Sarah Fair, AFL Executive General Manager of People, recognised the progress that has been made while also acknowledging that there is still work ahead.
“Our commitment to gender equity is unwavering and remains at the forefront of everything we do at the AFL.” Ms Fair said.
“Our aspiration is for an equal playing field in which both men and women feel they belong, can thrive and actively pursue fulfilling careers to the highest levels at the AFL.
“Since the launch of our first Gender Equity Action Plan back in 2018, we've made significant strides. Now, with momentum behind us, we are developing our third Gender Equity Action Plan, ensuring we continue to champion leading policies, deliver impactful talent and development programs and actively engage men in the conversation to accelerate change. Change that realises benefits for both men and women in their personal and professional lives.”
Each of the 18 AFL Clubs is required to report to WGEA individually and is not included in the AFL Group Workforce results. The AFL is continuing to partner with all clubs to work towards gender balance at every level and area.
