Footy stars cut memorabilia deals

ESP founder and chief executive Craig Kelly supports the AFL's case. Source: Herald Sun

MORE than 50 AFL stars, including Collingwood and Geelong premiership players, have struck deals to sign products for unlicensed memorabilia operators.

It is understood that a select group of players has broken the AFL's collective bargaining agreement by striking the private deals.

Each is believed to have received fees of between $20,000 and $40,000 from unlicensed operators.

It comes as the AFL yesterday won a Supreme Court injunction stopping unauthorised memorabilia agent Hard On Sport from selling its AFL products until a trial in December.

Part of the collective bargaining agreement between the AFL and the AFL Players' Association stipulates players' intellectual property and rights are owned by the AFL. For that, the players are paid a fee.

The AFL has made the AFLPA aware of the situation and an investigation looms into whether the players could be penalised for dealing with non-licensed operators.

Court documents yesterday revealed Collingwood and the AFL's official memorabilia agent, ESP Merchandise, were left with a $500,000 shortfall on its 2010 premiership collectibles.

The Pies found they could not sell products because the market was flooded.

ESP had forecast projected sales of $1.4 million from the Pies' first premiership in 20 years, but sold stock worth about $900,000.

Many players from other clubs have also been implicated in the unauthorised sports memorabilia market, with potential losses that could run into the millions.

The court heard ESP director Scott Davidson had told AFL and ESP solicitor Christopher Round that "ESP could not sell much official AFL memorabilia as the Collingwood players had signed so many unauthorised products".

"All of this unauthorised product was signed in breach of the collective bargaining agreement," the affidavit said.

More than 150 items of allegedly unlicensed AFL memorabilia, including signed photos, jumpers and boots, were netted by a court-ordered raid on two Melbourne sites last month.

Justice Peter Vickery's findings prevent Hard On Sport from "procuring the creation of, keeping, distributing, offering for sale or selling memorabilia which is not authorised by the AFL".

ESP founder and chief executive Craig Kelly, a Pies 1990 premiership player, said last night he fully supported the AFL's case.

Justice Vickery said Hard On Sport managing director David Sumiga was a Pies supporter who provided funds to club contacts.

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