Patrick Dangerfield Set to Step Down from AFL Players Association Presidency
Geelong Football Club star Patrick Dangerfield is set to resign as president of the AFL Players Association (AFLPA) in a surprising move. This comes just months after he advocated for reducing the duration of games, a proposal that drew criticism from fans.
Key Points:
- Dangerfield has played 338 games in the Australian Football League (AFL).
- He is poised to make a significant career change off the field.
AFLPA Tenure and Controversial Proposals
Dangerfield, 34, was elected to the presidency in 2018 and is expected to officially relinquish the role on Tuesday evening. During his tenure, he strongly championed salary increases for players and played a key role in navigating the sport through the COVID-19 pandemic.
In January of this year, the veteran of 338 games with the Geelong Cats and the Adelaide Crows, sparked debate by suggesting the AFL reduce the length of each quarter. He predicted this would heighten demand, increase revenue, and boost player earnings.
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Dangerfield cited declining fan attention spans as a primary reason for the proposed change.
“As audiences’ attention span reduces the debate will continue with the AFL quarter lengths. It’s Time to reduce them. – cue outrage,” he wrote on social media, referencing NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s suggestion to shorten NBA quarter lengths.
Patrick Dangerfield (pictured with wife Mardi) is due to step down as president of the AFL Players Association after holding the top job since 2018
The Geelong great made some controversial calls during his time with the players’ body, none more so than his campaign to reduce the length of games
He further elaborated, stating, “‘Now I’ve heard the ‘record ratings attendance argument. Less game less play BLA BLA BLA. It’s simple supply and demand. Reduce the supply and the demand goes up. Sponsors and salary follow. NBA has an oversupply. NFL have nailed the supply and demand and I’m not sure we [the AFL] have.'”
In a third tweet, he asserted, “It’s clear everyone agrees the game is far too long and must be reduced. Finally something we can all agree on.”
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Dangerfield expressed openness to drastic measures to sustain the league.
These included playing 16 home-and-away rounds over 10 weeks, with shortened quarters of 16 minutes plus time-on. ” ‘We will do whatever we have to do in order to get the season away, I think it [the reduced quarters proposal] is far less taxing than a normal AFL game, so let’s keep our eyes open with what might be possible. We don’t really know what we can and can’t do until we try,” he said.
Advocacy for Mid-Season Trades
Dangerfield also supported the introduction of a mid-season trade period following the AFL’s A$2.2 billion pay agreement with players in September 2023.
“There’s still detail to work around it, but I think it’s something that the game could benefit from,” he said.”There’s players that could certainly benefit from it and depending on the situation that each team is in I think there’s benefits for both teams that lose players and teams that gain players. Like anything, how it may initially start is not how it may finish or continue to operate in years to come.’”
Dangerfield (pictured during last week’s match against Fremantle) will now concentrate on trying to deliver the Cats’ 11th premiership
Dangerfield is now focused on leading the Geelong Cats to their eleventh premiership, after their campaign ended in a narrow preliminary final defeat to Brisbane last season.
In Geelong’s season opener against the Fremantle Dockers last Saturday, he kicked two goals and recorded 12 disposals in a 13-goal victory.