For the first time in three seasons, no AFL player earnt more than $1 million last year.

The $1 million barrier was first cracked in 2007, with two players earning seven-digit sums in 2008, but AFL figures show no player's income reached those heights in 2009.

But the salary divide between an elite few and the bulk of the competition remains.

Of the 547 men who played at least one AFL match last season, all but 29 of them earnt less than $500,000, with most of those - 307 players - earning between $100,000 and $300,000.

Seven players were paid more than $700,000, with two of those topping the $900,000 mark.

The salary figures include club payments to players for marketing services - Additional Service Agreements (ASA) - which are capped, but do not include independent third party deals.

The fall in income of the game's best-paid players makes an interesting contrast to that of AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou.

The league announced earlier this week that Demetriou was paid $1.8 million last year, a $200,000 rise, including superannuation and performance-based bonuses.

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