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A Primer on Australian Player Associations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

Braham Dabscheck
Braham Dabscheck*
Affiliation:
Melbourne Law School, Australia
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Abstract

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The paper provides basic information on the operation of Australian player associations. In doing so it draws on the experience of player associations in English soccer and American baseball. England’s Professional Footballers’ Association acted as a beacon to various attempts by Australian soccer players to form associations. Its legal victory in Eastham, in 1963, where it challenged the retain and transfer system, has had a resonance in Australia with the 1971 decision of the High Court in Tutty which struck down the New South Wales Rugby League’s retain and transfer system. This and decisions by lower courts in other states aided Australian player associations in their dealings with their respective leagues. Information is provided on various failed beginnings prior to World War I, and subsequent successful attempts to establish player associations in Australia, the formation of confederations both domestic and international, details of the respective membership of associations, the average income of members and a measure of their ability to provide services for members.

Keywords

J50Australiacricketfootballhistoryplayer associationssport
Type
Article
Information
The Economic and Labour Relations Review , Volume 23 , Issue 3 , September 2012 , pp. 61 - 70
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2012

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