Millions of reasons to become a footy star

THE AFL will have 20 millionaire players by 2020, according to a survey of the league’s financial heavy hitters.

But the immediate winners of the league’s new pay deal will be the “middle class” of 170 players who earned between $400,000-$800,000 last year.

According to official AFL figures there were 14 players on more than $800,000 last year, with six millionaires among them.

The new pay deal will lift this year’s salary cap by 20 per cent, with the salary cap to jump 28 per cent over the six years.

AFL player managers say about half of the league’s biggest deals have clauses which provides a rise in proportion with that salary cap jump.

They include players on $800,000 salaries including Geelong’s Patrick Dangerfield, with his deal to jump to about $1 million with cap clauses.

Some current millionaires also include Gary Ablett, Dayne Beams and Tom Scully who are taking pay-cuts or whose deals were front-ended.

But according to former list manager Chris Pelchen, those to cash in will be the new rich listers negotiating contracts in 12 months time.

They include Gold Coast’s Tom Lynch, out of contract next year, and Western Bulldog Marcus Bontempelli, out of contract in 2019. “You will find a significant uplift in the number (of $1 million players) in the next two to three years, but maybe not within 12 months,’’ Pelchen said.