Sacking a coach before the end of their contract has been a part of football for a very long time, but Craig Hutchison believes it’s about to become much harder for teams to do.
With COVID-19 severely impacting the financial situation at all 18 clubs, their ability to pay out coaches with years left on their deal becomes much harder.
Hutchison feels clubs will struggle now to make the decision to part ways with a coach given the monetary side of things.
“There’s an extra layer to the coach sacking that hasn’t been there before,” he told The Sounding Board Podcast.
“The angst overpowers the economics in a coach sacking.
“Normally in a coach sacking, ‘we can’t afford to do this, but we can’t afford to put up with the cost of the angst in our supporters because they pay us so much money and we’re going to have to take a deep breath and write this check’.
“This is the first time the ledger of economics versus the necessity of reality have swung in the favour of the coach.
“The cheque is going to be harder to write than ever before.
“I don’t think there is a coach by the way of 18 who deserve to lose their job, but if there were, I don’t think the economics of the times would allow for it.”
Simon Goodwin was the example used on Sounding Board as a coach under pressure who is likely safe given he is contracted until the end of 2022.
This comes as Melbourne aims to raise $1 million from their supporter base to avoid needing aid from the AFL financially this year.