There is a sly, ubiquitous belief in the WNBL that basketballers who are not good enough to make it, officially, go to football.
It is the only reason an athlete would choose the AFLW over the WNBL.
It could not possibly be the AFLW minimum wage, as of 2024, being $56,077, compared to the WNBL’s similarly new $20,0001. It could not be the free access to psychological support for not only every player but also their loved ones, nor the lifetime guarantee of that access after debuting for a senior game. It could not be the Player Development Managers at each club, whose principle role is to identify, support and assist the educational and employment needs of every player, and act as the conduit between them and external support for optimal player health and wellbeing. It could not be the Athlete Development Plans created at the start of the season with the head coach and other high performance staff, tracked throughout the season, and then used directly as reference in both the mid-season review and exit meeting. It could not be having an exit meeting. It could not be the year-round scheduling, implementation and support of fitness levels and strength — not just in season, but throughout pre-season and off-season — allowing the ability to monitor and relieve load on the body when necessary.
It could not be the three pairs of provided football boots and the two pairs of runners, nor the mouthguard that, retailed at $500 and given to every player for free, uses imbedded chips to monitor head knocks and detect concussion. It could not be the media training; the financial, nutritional, legal, fertility education; the twelve-month pregnancy policy; the EIS Committee formed to analyse policies around equality, inclusion and safety (including cultural safety) that affect players and former players; the ambition of, and commitment and transparency to, continued progress.
It is beneficial to Basketball Australia if coaches and fans and past players and — especially — current players believe there is no reason an athlete would leave the league it owns unless they were not good enough to be part of it. All those other reasons are superfluous. They are excuses.
AFLW verse the WNBL is an essay about the weight and power of perception.
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