Ben McKay, Christian Petracca and Tom Lynch. Pictures: AFL Photos

THERE has been an explosion in players being paid more than $1 million a season, with a record 25 stars reaching the mark in 2024. 

And more is expected, with clubs anticipating there will be 50 million-dollar players by the end of the next Collective Bargaining Agreement in 2027.

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In data released by the AFL to clubs in its annual report on Monday, the League revealed that last year there were 25 players in the million-dollar club, a rise from 19 in 2023.

There is also a top echelon of the best paid players in the game, with 10 players earning at least $1.2 million in 2024. That was up from eight players in 2023. 

The likes of Melbourne superstar Christian Petracca, retired Richmond legend Dustin Martin and Tigers spearhead Tom Lynch were all believed to be in the top rungs, while Essendon recruit Ben McKay was in the group on a front-ended free agency deal after leaving North Melbourne.

Demons midfielder Clayton Oliver, Carlton captain Patrick Cripps, Sydney gun Isaac Heeney and Western Bulldogs champion Marcus Bontempelli are others believed to be in the top tier of best-paid players in the game. 

Marcus Bontempelli during the Western Bulldogs' match against Gold Coast in R2, 2024. Picture: AFL Photos

Port Adelaide pair Zak Butters and Connor Rozee are also understood to be in the game's best-paid players, while Gold Coast's Ben King was also in that group. Because of a back-ended deal, former Giant Nick Haynes was also close to the highest-paid players last year before crossing to Carlton. 

The huge pay scales are shown in the growth of player salaries in recent years, with just two players earning more than $1.2 million in 2022 and 12 players above a million that year. In 2022 there were 51 players paid at least $800,000 a season, with that number increasing to 66 in 2024. However, the big difference was how much the absolute elite were paid with the jump in millionaires and in the $1.2 million club. 

The trend is only going up, with list bosses expecting there to be on average around three players per club to be reaching seven-figure deals by the end of 2027. 

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Total player payments rose to $15.8 million per club last season, up $800,000 from 2023, which saw the average payment for a listed player grow to nearly $460,000 from $441,464 the previous year. 

The average pay for a player who played at least one AFL game was close to half a million per season – $493,592 – up from $476,215 in 2023.

1990-2024 Summary of AFL Player Earnings

$ 1990* 2000* 2010* 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
$0-$60,000 442 87 9 0 1 1 0 0
$60,001-$100,000 88 132 67 113 18 10 0 0
$100,001-$200,000 8 237 153 189 132 125 128 117
$200,001-$300,000 - 80 158 142 119 126 106 104
$300,001-$400,000 - 22 91 131 119 109 96 103
$400,001-$500,000 - 8 45 60 109 95 91 94
$500,001-$600,000 - - 9 40 66 71 80 75
$600,001-$700,000 - 2 8 13 46 39 54 53
$700,001-$800,000 - - 2 4 25 32 42 58
$800,001-$900,000 - - 2 2 10 24 29 20
$900,001-$1,000,000 - - 4 2 3 15 15 19
$1,000,001-$1,100,000 - - - 1 1 6 6 9
$1,100,001-$1,200,000 - - - 1 1 3 5 6
$1,200,001+ - - - 0 3 3 8 10
TOTAL 538 568 548 698 655 659 660 668

* 1990-2010 figures only include players who played a senior game 

2010-2024 AFL total player earnings

Year Gross player
payments ($)		 Average gross
earnings ($)
2010 136,698,418 226,165
2011 153,699,344 237,388
2012 173,717,042 251,559
2013 181,560,623 265,179
2014 188,944,174 283,029
2015 200,199,169 302,104
2016 204,305,032 309,208
2017 231,354,739 352,470
2018 240,417,657 362,471
2019 242,345,042 363,430
2020 170,043,949 259,651
2021 233,853,380 372,224
2022 257,574,937 406,105
2023 280,862,089 441,464
2024 296,300,000 459,173

* All figures related to Primary Listed Players