TENSION is growing by the day in AFLW land, with the eight established clubs increasingly frustrated they cannot sign players for the 2019 season.

THE AFL team, led by Nicole Livingston, and the Players’ Association group, headed by Brett Murphy, are working overtime to nut out a collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

Of most importance is how list payment models will be structured next season and what compensation will be afforded to clubs that lose players to Geelong and North Melbourne, both of which will join the league in 2019.

Foxfooty.com.au has learned clubs have become irritated at the repeated delays in negotiations over the past month at a time when several women footballers are weighing up their futures.

Finals Week 1

The lack of resolution has made it impossible for clubs to give players concrete answers on payment and list makeup.

On more than one occasion, AFLW list managers and coaches were told paper work was all but sorted, only for 11th hour correspondence to confirm they would have to wait another week.

It’s understood the AFL and AFLPA are expecting the list management and payment structure aspect of the CBA to be finalised in the next 7-10 days, but clubs are less optimistic following at least two false starts.

Once the broad list management mechanisms are in place, the finer details of the CBA will be thrashed out over a longer period of time.

Nicole Livingstone is the head of the AFLW competition. Source: Herald Sun

Of greatest importance to the AFL are the broadcasters, who may or may not offer to pay for the rights to show the 2019 AFLW season.

The league handed Channel 7 and Fox Footy the rights for free across the first two seasons of the competition, with each respective broadcaster covering the production costs for games they televised.

But for as long as the AFL does not know how much — if any — money they will be receiving from prospective broadcasters and sponsors, it muddies the waters with their negotiations with the AFLPA.

In other words, if the league does not know how big the pie is, how is it meant to divide it up and give an accurate proportion to the players and clubs?

As recent as February the AFL was considering a list-management model which would allow each club great flexibility in what they pay their players.

In 2018, tier one players were paid a fixed amount of $20,000 as part of the salary cap, while tier two players ($14,500) and other senior listed women ($10,500) received less. Rookies earned $8,500 for the season.

There was then an ambassadorial payment which saw each club allowed to spend up to $40,000 to two or more players.

But this model could be shelved in favour of a more traditional AFL men’s system, with clubs permitted to spend whatever salary cap they have, however they see fit.

As yet, there are no concrete answers and clubs are growing impatient. And so are the players.