Creating accountability’: AFL, AFLPA announce landmark new illicit drugs policy

PLAYERS will undergo twice-yearly hair testing under the new illicit drugs policy agreed between the AFL and AFL Players’ Association.

The policy, which was confirmed on Thursday, will see a rigorous process follow a positive test that will include “significant health assessments and interventions” for behavioural change.

Under the framework, if a player records a second consecutive positive test they will progress to an individual management plan overseen by the AFL, which will include ongoing clinical assessments, treatment and more testing.

If those measures fail to change behaviour, a wider group of people within a club – the president, chief executive and football manager – will be notified but be bound by strict confidentiality measures as the player is referred to a ‘fitness to play’ assessment. A senior coach cannot be informed.

Players who are deemed unable to play will be declared by a uniform approach of “unavailable”, with the AFL looking to take out the capacity for clubs to list players missing games under the policy as suffering other injuries.

Players who are publicly found to have taken illicit substances will be hit with a suspension of between two and four games, with AFLW players to be part of the new policy for the first time.

The AFL will start the hair testing for men’s players under the new policy in coming months, with the AFLW competition to start ahead of the 2027 season.

The AFL’s Laura Kane told media on Thursday that the independent panel would determine when players are available to play if they require a ‘fitness to play’ assessment under a system that has more “accountability”.

“The panel can do three things. Firstly, they can determine that the player is fit to continue under the management plan or the plan they have in place. They can determine that they’re fit to continue and re-engage or adjust their management plan,” Kane said.

“There might be particular conditions placed over them and that probably most commonly would look like additional screening.

“Or they can determine that they’re not fit to play or train. And in that case, they would be deemed unavailable for selection. So naturally there would be awareness that they’re unavailable to play. There’s no suggestion that we would be saying why. So it wouldn’t be stood down for breaches of the illicit drugs policy. It’s still their private medical information.”

Kane said clubs would need to abide by the language set out in the new policy.

“If you have been stood down from playing via the fitness to play panel, you will not be able to change the way you explain that you’re unavailable. It will just be unavailable, acknowledging that that can capture other things, but it can’t be in the reverse,” she said.

“You can’t say it’s other things if it’s come about that way. So notwithstanding the fact that it is private medical information and [the points] made around mental health, it’s incredibly important that we protect that and that we do everything we can to protect the players, their privacy, there’ll be no other way to describe it.”

AFL Players’ Association boss James Gallagher said the new policy would apply until 2029 when it will be reviewed, and that it served above the WADA in-competition testing for performance enhancing drugs.

“What we’ve heard is very much from the experts is punitive is not the right approach. It’s not the contemporary approach, but what it is about (is) creating accountability. There’s a big focus for us on education first, identifying second, getting the care and support and then there’s a level of accountability to that care and support,” Gallagher said.

The League and Players’ Association said players would continue to be paid while unavailable for games due to the code as there had been no change to the standard playing contract.