Average A-League wage lower than Kazakhstan's Premier League

And it's only falling further behind in Asia

A-League first-team players are earning an average annual wage of AU $182,159, according to the 2018 Global Sports Salaries Survey.

While nothing to sneeze at, the figure is $20,000 less than what Kazakhstan's Premier League players on average are earning and has the A-League notably adrift compared to what other leagues in Asia are offering.

Though still boasting a higher average wage than the , the A-League is sitting just behind the K-League for wage with the J-League more than doubling what A-League players are pulling in.

's Pro League and 's are unsurprisingly even further ahead when it comes to wages with figures of $703,690 and $1,456,890 respectively.

Operating inside a salary cap, the A-League's modest average wage is inevitable and highlights the challenge the competition faces in balancing its books while still bringing in big-name talent.

Brisbane Roar coach John Aloisi recently called on the A-League to scrap the salary cap moving forward to ensure the competition can remain competitive in Asia.

“We’re not competing with the Premier League, we’re competing with Asia. Let’s compete with Asia," Aloisi said.

"They haven’t got salary caps; we go into the Asian and we’re restricted because of the salary cap.

"I saw the draw and I feel sorry for the teams in the Champions League. They’re playing SIPG? How much do they spend? More than $3 million on one player.”

Though quickly falling behind in Asia when it comes to wages, does sit above European countries like , Norway and .

The A-League however is just a small fish in a very large pond when looking at the highest earning leagues in Europe with 's Premier League leading the way with an average yearly salary of $5,451,821.

Read the full Global Sports Salaries Survey here.