The AFL is considering proposals to introduce premiership rings for every footballer who plays a senior men’s or women’s game in a flag-winning season.
And reigning premiers Collingwood are lobbying to be the first club presented with the ritzy piece of silverware from the league, worth more than $50,000 per item.
9News Melbourne can reveal there have been high level discussions across the summer regarding the concept – which could also include football department staff – with four separate businesses pitching to partner the league on the lavish project.
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In these meetings, several ideas were explored regarding the ring, such as its name, its look, and the possible recipients.
And although the AFL is yet to commit, key stakeholders around the industry are hopeful the concept will eventually receive a green light.
Regardless, the league maintains it won’t impact the time-honoured premiership medallion for the 23 premiership players.
The Magpies are hoping their flag in 2023 will be the first men’s premiership where players receive league-sanctioned rings, possibly called “Barassi Rings”, named after one of the greatest VFL/AFL players of all time, the late Ronald Dale Barassi.
A total of 37 players represented Collingwood last season, and each of them – even the six who managed just one senior match – would receive a ring under plans broached with the AFL.
“There is an opportunity here for the AFL industry to copy something from the American sports model that is actually special and works. I don’t think we should copy everything, mind you,” Collingwood CEO Craig Kelly said to 9News Melbourne on Tuesday.
“It’s separate to the medals and the player and the coach. It needs to be licensed by the AFL. A version of it should be available for members and collectors.”
Kelly also advocated for a tiered product to be available for football staff within the club, which reflects the NBA model.
“The ability to recognise all staff and make them feel special for all the hard work and to have something on their shelf is a good thing,” he said.
“It works wonderfully across men’s and women’s. Ideally I’d love our staff and players to receive something from last year and to line up with the AFLW season and Grand Final this season.”
Eddie McGuire, alongside James Kennedy from Kennedy Jewellers, has been influential behind the scenes. Together, they presented a proposal to AFL CEO Andrew Dillon several months ago.
Kennedy Jewellers is the official timekeeper of the AFL and McGuire has been a huge advocate behind the scenes for the Barassi name to be forever linked to the ring.
Retired Carlton champion Marc Murphy was involved in another pitch to the AFL, while former Hawthorn sharpshooter Ben Dixon assisted with a third proposal.
The members for a fourth group asked to remain anonymous.
Driving the concept with Fox Footy’s Dixon is Chris Feeney and Jeff Devers. Feeney is the founder of ‘The Missing Link,’ a company specialising in hosting sporting events and experiences.
Devers is the owner of Diamond District, a company which has already created a prototype ring for the AFL to consider worth $50,000.
“The initial catalyst came from a podcast where Isaac Quaynor said it was sad that some players who were so pivotal in the success of an AFL premiership season were not recognised if they did not play in the Grand Final,” Devers said to 9News.
“We were then lucky enough to connect with both Scott Pendlebury and Tom Mitchell and presented them with a concept/prototype ring and introduced them to our business.
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“This then led to a further meeting with the Collingwood CEO Craig Kelly, and finally landed us with a meeting with top executive’s from the AFL who have given us incredibly positive feedback.”
He added: “At Diamond District, our partners and stakeholders have a sporting background and we have worked with some of Australia’s most successful athletes…
“We have the skill and knowledge in fine jewellery to be able to work with the AFL to get the job done and execute at the highest level.”
It’s understood Pendlebury, Mitchell and captain Darcy Moore were in favour of the concept.
If approved, replica rings would likely be made available to fans for a low four-figure price tag.
With Feeney and Devers’ design, each player would have their jumper number and name engraved on the ring.
The intricate design – as approved by Kelly in December and presented to AFL marketing officials – shows six points of the main circle, which reflects the six light towers at the MCG.
Contrastingly, the AFLW ring would have four light towers, just like the Gabba, because the Lions won the last flag.
“Every day we get pitched by companies with new concepts,” AFL spokesperson Jay Allen said on Tuesday.
“We can confirm we have been approached by multiple businesses pitching premiership rings, however no further conversations have been progressed.”
Rings for successful teams are not a new concept, with Hawthorn (2008) and Collingwood (2010) designing special rings for their premiership players in those years.
The NRL, NBA and NFL also hand out championship rings, while US Olympians receive rings regardless of performance.
But from a league perspective, the possibility of an annual ring-giving ceremony at the best and fairest night for the winning team has really only gained momentum since last year’s Grand Final.
The process has not been driven by the AFL, but rather investors, Collingwood, business people and former players.
“For clarity, the AFL premiership medal is one of the most iconic and treasured medals in Australian sport,” Allen continued.
“It has been handed out for decades and will continue to be for decades to come. There is no desire or plan to change that.”
