Football is one of the popular sports in many countries. The amount of money a player receives is commensurate with his talent and level of dedication. It is upon the players to make the right career choices to get rewarded well. Footballers, who intend to switch to Australian clubs must ask the question, “How much do A-League players earn? Athletes with information concerning the level of remuneration in the A-League can join Australian clubs bearing reasonable expectations.
A-League player's salary is less than the amount offered in most European leagues. According to the Professional Footballers Australian's yearly report, the average A-League salary has been unable to keep pace with what India and South Korea offer. The average wage for Australian players has been dealt a big blow following the outbreak of the deadly pandemic. A-League highest-paid players across all ages are below the amounts in most European leagues such as the Premier League. There is hope that the salaries for the A-League highest paid players will rise following the collective bargaining agreement secured by PFA.
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Reason for the low salaries for A-League players
A-League players’ salaries are determined through the Australian wage cap policies. PFA has acknowledged the need for A-League to become more competitive compared to leagues in Asia. The management can make A-League more competitive by raising the salary cap ceilings. This rise will make the salaries paid to A-League players be as high as those in other leagues. More talented players will come to A-League and make the league more interesting to follow. A-League will no longer be viewed as the destination for professionals who want to retire.
Moreover, there is a lot of uncertainty in the A-League as far as broadcasting is concerned. Players do not get the right and consistent coverage through the mainstream media. Many clubs cannot identify A-League players due to the poor marketing of the league. Poor marketing makes it difficult for talented players to get the teams that can value their contributions. Less broadcasting opportunities reflect poor revenue flow. A-League teams cannot get enough revenue to pay players' salaries commensurate with their talents.
A-League highest-paid players
Craig Goodwin tops the list of A-League highest-paid players. However, this salary is less than what other leagues offer. The Australian defender has an annual wage of £780,000. The talented athlete plays for Adelaide United FC. Mitchell Duke also features among the A-League highest-paid players with a weekly salary of £14,000. The Australian talisman currently plays for Western Sydney Wanderers. It is worth noting that the amount of money paid to a player does not relate to the country of origin. A closer examination of the top ten A-League highest-paid players reveals that the players come from different nations. Nonetheless, the players come from different teams because of the financial fair play policy. The fairness policy ensures that no club will get an undue advantage over competitors due to its ability to buy quality players.
A-League Average Salary
According to the report by Global Sports Salaries, the average yearly wage for first-team A-League players is AUD 182,000. This value is less than what Kazakhstan's' teams pay their players by $20,000. A-League players’ agents are working round the clock to strike deals with A-League teams so that their clients can pull in competitive salaries compared to what other leagues in Asia pay. It is only fair that players get salaries commensurate with their talent and commitment. Most players will only go where they feel appreciated. Happy players perform better than disgruntled players.
There is a need for A-League teams to pay salaries that can help them attract and retain quality players. The question that league managers need to ask is, how much do A-League players earn compared to salaries from other Asian leagues? When policymakers address this question, every team will be allowed to pay reasonable wages.
Comparison between A-League Highest-Paid Players and Salaries in Other Leagues
The essence for comparing the salaries across leagues in Asia is that the teams in this continent participate in an annual tournament. This comparison will assist A-League policymakers to harmonize the average salary with what is being paid in other leagues. Research has confirmed that A-League players get less pay than their counterparts in other leagues within the same geographical area. This act seems to be one of the reasons why talented players leave the league for better pay in other leagues. If players from other leagues realize that A-League's highest-paid players pull in higher salaries than what they get in their current leagues, they will get attracted to A-League. There is good reasoning behind the regulation of the amount payable to players. Regulation will level the ground for competition between teams in the same league.
Conclusion
Any league that works under the salary cap will always result in low salaries. A-League teams must balance their books of accounts while seeking the services of quality players. If the A-League teams raise the wage ceiling, quality players will see Australia as a destination to practice their arts. However, if A-League continues with the stringent measures concerning the amount paid in terms of salaries, few players will go there during their prime ages. Lack of quality players is the reason Australian teams rarely perform well in international tournaments.
Though Australia is very accommodating, A-League policymakers should consider how much do A-League players get paid compared to competitors in the continent. A-League teams do not compete among themselves only. For instance, A-League teams feel disadvantaged when they compare the quality of their players and players from other leagues. For instance, the average players’ salary for a single team in China is twice that of an Australian team. The difference translates into the quality of players that these teams will attract. During tournaments, teams with quality players tend outperforming teams with fewer quality players. And in as much as salaries are an integral part of player-manager, wagers that players earn should be commensurate with their work rate on the pitch.
