“It’s a historic day for our code and the future of the code,” said AFL Chairman Richard Goyder as he unveiled a $4.5 billion, 7-year broadcast deal with Seven and Foxtel to show AFL and AFLW matches for 2025-2031. It’s the largest in Australian history, and reports say it’s far more than the AFL was hoping for. With its sights set $600 million a year, the league has scored a deal valued at $642 million annually, up from $473 million a year under the current deal with Seven/Foxtel. It got so high because Ten/Paramount bid $6 billion over 10 years, which gave the AFL a big card to play. It’s not a bad way for CEO Gillion McLachlan to end his time at the AFL… For fans, a detailed review of the ins and outs of the deal is here. For comparison, at the end of last year, the NRL signed a 5-year, $2 billion broadcast deal with Nine, Fox Sports and Sky NZ. Meanwhile, Seven is trying to get out of its cricket deal…