AFL players could soon have an athletes' own integrity unit to which they can report any concerns, as part of a bold plan endorsed by the AFL Players Association.
Brendan Schwab, the general secretary of the Australian Athletes Alliance, which governs unions such as the AFLPA and the Australian Cricketers Association, revealed on Wednesday he was seeking financial support for a unit that would govern and educate players on issues such as gambling, doping and match-fixing.
While Schwab did not wish to single out the Essendon saga as an example, he said a specialist players' unit – sitting outside the AFL's own integrity unit – could have helped to handle the Bombers crisis before the club self-reported and the then federal government launched its "blackest day in Australian sport" report as part of the Australian Crime Commission's Project Aperio.
"I don't want to single out Essendon, but the whole concept of this integrity unit is to not see athletes as the problem but to make them the first line in defending the integrity of sport, and we think it would play a huge role in preventing the threats to integrity from growing into actual problems," Schwab told Fairfax Media.
"In terms of, say, the blackest day in sport, we propose that there be established a dedicated integrity unit within the player associations under the auspices of the AAA, and that would take primary responsibility of educating and empowering the athletes in an independent and player-driven way, so that should there be any issues of concern that arise in the workplace, they can be dealt with promptly and effectively.
"That is very effective on doping, that is very important on match-fixing and any other issue that may affect the integrity of sport. We need to get the integrity unit funded and that is going to be one of our top priorities over the next year."
He said players could find it more comfortable to express concerns about teammates, rivals or their own club to a dedicated players' unit.
The AFL has a whistleblower service, which allows players to confidentially report concerns. Two players came forward within weeks of the ACC's disturbing findings last year.
The AAA has about 3500 members through Australia's eight major player and athlete associations, involving the AFL, cricket, netball, basketball, jockeys, rugby league, rugby union and soccer.
"Where Australian sport has a unique opportunity and advantage is that our athletes are uniquely organised now," Schwab said. "So sports should make better decisions because of the opportunities to involve us.
"The concept of an integrity unit would be a world first and Australia often prides itself on being a world leader in sport. We think it would be a magnificent first step and something which is very innovative."
Schwab, who has also launched a charter of athletes' rights, said a specialist players' integrity unit would work with those established by the major sporting organisations. "Clearly it would have close working relationships with the national sports integrity unit and also the integrity units within the various sports," he said.
