Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield is leading a push to change the pre-game player dress-code.
As first reported on Channel Seven, Dangerfield, the AFLPA President, wants players to be able to wear their own clothing to the ground.
Currently AFL players must wear official club attire that includes sponsors to games as cameras often catch them walking into changerooms pre-match.
With pre-game fashion and outfits a big showcase for NBA players and other professional athletes, SEN Breakfast hosts Garry Lyon and Tim Watson gave their thoughts on whether the AFL should follow suit.
Lyon: “You’ve said should players be able to turn up and be free to be able to express themselves through the way they present and dress.”
Watson: “I’ve said that many times, I’ve pushed for it hard.”
Lyon: “Now Patrick Dangerfield, the President of the Players’ Association says he wants to see it happen.”
Watson: “They’ve got to get it through the AFL, the AFL are pushing back a little bit, because I think the clubs are pushing back a bit because they want players to turn up in their kit with the sponsors.
“It’s all good and the money goes into the game, but I feel as you do to expand the game further in this country – we’ve got all these great young, fit, good looking young men who are incapable of expressing themselves as individuals.”
Lyon: “Is it American? Like a, ‘Look at me?’.”
Watson: “You don’t have to dress up like the NBA players, just go as they’d normally dress up if they were going to a football game without playing.
Lyon: “What about if it’s their trackies or work shorts?”
Watson: “That’s fine, if that’s how they express themselves then it’s fine.
“I think it’ll be great for the game, we need to grow the game as much as we possibly can around Australia.
“I think this is a way of drawing other people into the game that may not follow AFL football but may start following individuals and then get an interest in the game.”
The AFL has previously experimented with the pre-game dress code as players were free to wear what they wanted in the lead-up to AFLX games in 2018 and 2019.
Seven’s report suggests players could push for the change in collective bargaining agreement discussions.