AFL PLAYERS whose careers are ended by concussion will be eligible for payouts under a new injury and hardship scheme.

The AFL Players' Association has allocated $24.7 million to the fund, which is expected to be accessed by up to 200 former AFL/VFL players per year.

Past players will be eligible to access grants of up to $8000 towards treatment of football-related dental issues and joint injuries.

The AFLPA will continue to provide for players experiencing hardship as a result of injury, illness or mental health issues, while payouts for career-ending injuries have been broadened to include concussion.

Greg Williams, Nicky Winmar and John Platten are among the AFL greats to have battled concussion-related health issues in recent years.

All three have been linked to a potential class action against the AFL.

St Kilda's Sean Dempster and Melbourne's Heritier Lumumba have both walked away from the game in recent years after struggling with head knocks.

The decision to allocate $4 million per year towards the fund was made by players during negotiations for their new $1.84 billion pay deal.

"The reality is every current player becomes a past player," AFLPA chief Paul Marsh told reporters on Tuesday.

"They can see how this will benefit them but they've also got a duty to support the guys that came before them."

The AFLPA estimates that 76 per cent of footballers leave the game with a serious injury, two-thirds of which require ongoing treatment.

Former Richmond defender Kelvin Moore was forced to retire in 2012 at age 28 after enduring nine hip operations.

He will eventually need both hips replaced and continues to experience pain whenever he picks up his young son.

"It's not until you have kids that you probably realise what condition your body's in," he said.

"It is tough but you just do it. You love playing the game ... you don't realise you'll need (support) until you might be five, 10, 15 years out (and) you think 'hang on, I'm in a little bit of trouble here'."