The AFL Players' Association (AFLPA) has released its fifth annual Insights and Impact Report, drawing on data gathered from AFL and AFLW players and clubs across 2025.
The report examines players' workplace culture, safety, development and post-career experiences. In this year’s report, players have signalled both progress and where support is falling short.
Here is what to know.
Background
The AFLPA is the union representing all current AFL and AFLW players, and nearly 5,000 former players. It negotiates the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the AFL.
This year's report lands ahead of the next round of CBA negotiations, and as both competitions prepare to add a 19th team.
AFLPA CEO James Gallagher said players want to help shape the game as it grows, but cautioned that current support structures are struggling to keep up with the pace of change.
Online abuse
Around 66% of AFL players and 31% of AFLW players said they had been the target of online abuse over the past year. The general population rate is 27%, according to data from the Australian Institute of Criminology.
Among the AFLW players who were abused online, close to one-third said the abuse included sexual harassment. Around 25% faced comments about their body or appearance.
The media
Around 34% of AFL players told the AFLPA that broadcasters had shown them disrespect. Almost half (46%) named media scrutiny among the biggest issues facing players today.
Players voiced frustration about reporters approaching them straight after medical scans, and about cameras in changerooms recording them while they were injured.
Racism
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Roughly 27% of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and culturally diverse AFL players said they were subjected to racism over the previous year.
Social media accounted for 71% of the reported incidents, making it by far the most common venue. Another 70% said their case had received no response, or only a partial one.
For Indigenous players, the racism generally came from outside the club environment. Culturally diverse players reported more incidents inside the club, including from teammates and staff.
Indigenous AFLW players gave their workplace culture a rating of 6.95 out of 10 in 2025. The AFLPA said no lower figure had been recorded from the group before.
Their rating of "my club cares about me as a person" fell from 9.05 to 7.57 year-on-year, a 16% drop.
In the men's competition, Indigenous AFL players' workplace culture rating of 8.28 sits in line with the AFL-wide average of 8.27.
Progress
The report also points to progress. From 2027, the AFLW's tiered salary structure will be scrapped, with a minimum salary of $72,373 and a total club cap of about $2.46 million.
Nearly all AFL and AFLW players (97% and 96%) reported at least moderate interest in playing representative football such as State of Origin or international matches. A State of Origin match between Western Australia and Victoria in February drew 58,141 fans.
Gallagher said: "Players are ready to be partners."
What next?
The report comes ahead of talks for the next AFL-AFLPA CBA.
The AFLPA and AFL have also established an Equality, Inclusion and Safety Committee, chaired by former Federal Race Discrimination Commissioner Dr Helen Szoke. According to the report, the committee was due to begin meeting in early 2026.
The AFLPA has also flagged plans to pilot an online safety platform with players in response to the abuse data.
