DEVELOPING a Collective Bargaining Agreement for senior coaches is on the radar as new AFL Coaches Association chair Brenton Sanderson aims for greater alignment for the cohort. 

Sanderson, who coached Adelaide for three seasons and has almost two decades worth of experience as an AFL assistant coach, has recently been appointed as the new chair of the coaches' union after sitting on the board for the past year. 

The ex-Cat, Collingwood and Crows player has several priorities in the new role, having also coached elite talent at the AFL and remaining a local coach in Melbourne, with the concept of a coaches' CBA being front of mind. 

"The players have a CBA and the umpires have a CBA. The umpires are a bit different because they're employed by the AFL. The challenge we've got is the coaches are employed by their clubs," he told AFL.com.au.

"So call it a CBA or call it industry minimum standards, there should be a way that there's [levels built in] around termination, minimum wages, time off from the club at the end of the year, media requirements, sponsor requirements.

"At the moment clubs work independently with their coaches and staff as employees, so that's the next conversation [for us]."

The AFL has boosted soft caps this year by $750,000 and another $350,000 for 2027, with 20 per cent of a senior assistant or coaching director's salary to sit outside the soft cap and senior coaches now able to have marketing agreements up to $100,000 sit outside the cap. 

But as senior coaches get asked to do more for their clubs, both on and off the field, in broadcast agreements and club focused needs, demands often sit outside of the day-to-day tasks.  

Sanderson said steering the coaching fraternity, alongside AFLCA chief executive Alastair Nicholson, was about making conditions for coaches as appealing as possible. 

"It's something I'm really passionate about. I've been in the industry since I was 17 as a player, then a coach, and I've seen every side of it," he said.

"When I played, coaching was really sought after – you could come out of playing into being a development coach then a pathway to being an assistant coach, a VFL head coach and then maybe an AFL head coach. I just don't think that's as desirable as what it once used to be."

Sanderson discussed some of the key coaching issues in an interview with AFL.com.au. 

EXTENDING COACHES' LEAVE

Chris Scott took extra weeks away from Geelong over summer, handing the reins to his experienced assistant coaching panel. Craig McRae did the same at Collingwood. 

Ken Hinkley, who completed an 13-year stint at Port Adelaide last year after a long coaching journey before then, recently spoke to AFL.com.au about the lifestyle change he has felt since stepping away. 

Sanderson reflects on his own three years as Adelaide's senior coach between 2012-14 and is hoping more clubs give their coaches extra time off given the game's gruelling demands. 

"Ken Hinkley's comment about this is the first time in 40 years he's had a full night's sleep … I remember when I was the senior coach my phone would ring all night. Like, just constantly, constantly ringing. You never get an opportunity to switch off, so it's probably just getting that work balance," he said.

"[The coaches taking extra leave] is a template for what a successful coach needs because a lot of coaches work right through to the draft and then you start training and you're back into it.

"I think there needs to be a template for time off for not just senior coaches but assistant and development coaches." 

ATTRACTING THE BEST

Sanderson knows a challenge for the game is keeping great players interested in coaching once their playing careers end. Senior coaching figures around the AFL are concerned about the lack of assistant coaches coming through the system, and part of that is tied to players seeing the demands on the position.

A big test case will be Collingwood's Scott Pendlebury. Already having forged a coaching pathway at junior level, will the champion Magpie become a coach or see greater lifestyle benefits and financial stability in media roles?

"Sam Mitchell is a great example [of a champion player who took the coaching path]. 'Simmo' (Adam Simpson) was another where they've come out as great footy minds as players and became really great effective senior coaches," Sanderson said.

"The coach's association's role is to support the coaches currently within those roles but part of it is pathways as well.

"The biggest thing is the security around termination clauses and everything's always one, two, maximum three-year deals. 

"Nobody's forcing anyone to be a coach. But what you'll find with most of the recent surveys of coaches is they love their job, but they're most nervous about termination or about what happens in a year or two if the team's not going well or they have to relocate to a different state."

RULES AND ROTATIONS

Coaches have already put on the radar that the interchange cap of 75 has become too restrictive for five rotations on the bench. The topic was raised again at the AFLCA's recent annual general meeting. But are they unanimous on the solution – be in five, 10 or 15 more for a game or finding another way?

"They're not, but they never will be. Not with 18 clubs and soon to be 19," said Sanderson. "But as long as there is an opportunity for coaches to have input into where the game's going and be consulted and have their opinions heard. Whether they're actioned or not, that's fine.

"Just having a seat at the table when it comes to key decision making is probably what coaches are craving."

The timing of the reintroduction of the AFL Origin match in February caused strong criticism in the coaches' AGM last month, with Gold Coast's Damien Hardwick and North Melbourne's Alastair Clarkson particularly vocal about it. Hardwick is still without star midfielder Matt Rowell since that game after he injured his finger playing for Victoria.

Sanderson said in discussions with new AFL executives Tom Harley and Greg Swann – Harley and Sanderson are long-time close friends after being teammates at Geelong – there was an openness to listen to the coaches' views. 

"They know the coaches, the CEOs, the GMs of footy so I think that's probably where the short-term goals are for the AFL Coaches Association (to ensure the coaches have their say on decisions)," Sanderson said.