FOOTBALL clubs face breaches including fines, the reduction of Total Player Points for teams and loss of premiership points if any salary cap breaches occur.
Regional commissions will provide feedback to AFL Victoria after the sport’s peak body released its initial draft Player Salary Cap policy on Friday.
The 25-page document is the second stage of AFL Victoria’s Community Club Sustainability Program, which aims to provide all clubs with a level playing field to compete in.
Clubs across all competitions in Victoria have operated this season under a player points system that gives all individual a point ranking, with loyalty to junior clubs rewarded.
The salary cap policy sets out a framework of rules and guiding principles in relation to a Club Salary Cap system, narrowing the gap over time between high and low spending clubs in order to assist with the rise of escalating player payments in community football.
“The purpose of the PSC policy is to assist club volunteers in managing both the type of payment made to players and place the ceiling on the total player payments that a club may distribute,” AFL Victoria club sustainability manager, Darryl Collings said.
“The PSC policy is all about sustaining community football and supporting the thousands of volunteers across the state who are the back-bone of local football.”
AFL Central Murray will liaise with the Central Murray Football Netball League, the Golden Rivers Football League and the two competitions’ clubs on the document.
AFL Central Victoria will complete the same process for the leagues it oversees, which includes the Heathcote District Football Netball League.
Both commissions will provide an estimate of what their Salary Cap figure may be in the 2017 season as part of feedback on the document, with the final figures to be ratified by the Community Club Sustainability Program Working Party to ensure there is relative consistency across adjoining competitions.
All feedback will be assessed by the Community Club Sustainability Program Working Party, with a final version to be ratified prior to release of the final policy later this year.
