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In June this year the Australian Football League (AFL) and the Australian Football League Players' Association (AFLPA) finally signed off on the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) to cover the 1999-2003 AFL seasons. Originally announced in September 1998, the new CBA differs considerably from the 1995-1998 agreement and according to the AFL, the CBA'sets a new benchmark for other sporting codes'(AFL, 1999, p. 70) in dealing with the employee (athlete) relations Issue.

Of particular importance are the extensive changes to provisions regulating the marketing and endorsement opportunities of players and prospective club or player sponsors. These changes have already had a major impact upon the marketing strategies of various AFL stakeholders and this article reviews the effects of the new CBA upon marketing practices of club sponsors and AFL clubs. The new CBA typifies the emerging …