Opinion

Contracts revamp to give A-League players incentive to perform

The 15th A-League that has been forced out of action by COVID-19 could use its hibernation to explore the merits or otherwise of scrapping standard player contracts in favour of incentive-based deals.

Australia's elite clubs have more pressing matters to deal with at the moment, not least the fractious relationship with broadcaster Fox.

Football no doubt will come back in one form or another and an overdue abolition of the salary cap would facilitate the introduction of a contract system that is based on performance and which is used just about universally.

Clubs and players worldwide will have to accept severe austerity measures when football eventually returns from the ravages of the coronavirus.

And the game in Australia that is hugely dependent on television for survival is no exception.

At the moment the average salary of a non-marquee player is about $150,000 but the key issue is that winning or losing makes no difference to a player's wages. Which is fundamentally wrong.

How about non-marquee players being offered a basic salary of, say, $100,000 with bonuses of $4000 for a win and $2000 for a draw, for example?

A dozen wins and half a dozen draws would earn players an extra $60,000.

Of course, not all clubs are in the same boat financially and not all players are of the same quality.
Admittedly, while the battling clubs won't win too many matches the most successful ones would struggle to keep their players' wages within the $3.2m salary cap should the wins accumulate and the bonuses blow out.

A 'bonus cap' or a lower basic wage could remedy that.

If on the other hand the A-League opts for scrapping the cap that was designed to make the competition a level playing field - and clearly failed - this scenario would give clubs carte blanche to do away the current contract system and offer players incentive deals.

Some clubs already have incentives in place such as an extra $10,000 or so for players who play a certain number of matches.

There are few better ways of raising playing standards and commitment levels than by offering individual or collective bonuses to the players who have the capacity to win matches.

The prospect of a win bonus might even persuade players carrying a niggle, for example, to take the field and contribute to the team rather than play it safe and sit out a game.

In an open market players who are good and determined enough to attract better wages will end up at the more affluent clubs. The lesser players will have to lift their game if they are to reach those standards.

Football is a costly and competitive business and as in all walks of life clubs simply should not keep paying top dollar to those who do not produce, either individually or collectively.
A-League clubs simply cannot afford situations in which players are paid as much for losing as they are for winning. This does not make sense.
By all means remunerate players handsomely for winning games but by the same token mediocrity should come at a cost.

Okay, you could argue that clubs that under-perform and finish last in the league are not being punished by demotion but this only strengthens the case for a second division coupled with promotion and relegation to be set up as soon as it is practically possible.

Football is an industry that is based on survival of the fittest and one that provides the cream with an opportunity to rise to the top.

There is nothing wrong with such a system that rewards excellence and punishes failure.

It's how professional football works.


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4 min read
Published 24 April 2020 8:08am
By Philip Micallef


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