Weekly Times | AFL Goldfields has released its player salary cap figures for its leagues, but says clubs will not be audited next year or penalised for breaches.
AFL Victoria plans to implement a statewide player points system across Victoria from next season, but the introduction of a statewide player salary cap has been delayed until 2017.
But some regions are looking to introduce elements of a salary cap policy next year.
AFL Goldfields today announced the Ballarat Football League clubs would have a limit of $150,000 to spend on player payments next season, but that figure would drop by $10,000 in 2017 and again in 2018.
Riddell District clubs have the region’s second-highest starting figure next year at $120,000, which would also drop $10,000 across each of the two subsequent seasons.
The Central Highlands league clubs’ player spending allowance will shed $5000 in 2017 and 2018 after starting next season on $110,000, while the Maryborough Castlemaine District clubs will start at $75,000 and that figure will be adjusted for CPI in 2017 and 2018.
AFL Goldfields region general manager Rod Ward said next year’s salary cap introduction would focus on “training and education, rather than enforcement and audits”, but the exact framework clubs would work to was not finalised.
An AFL Goldfields club sustainability advisory committee, which is still being formed, will assess and make recommendations to the local commission on the player points and salary cap allocations into the future.
“Obviously we’ve set them at the level we think is appropriate for next year, but this is where the advisory committee will engage in more discussions with leagues and clubs,” Ward said.
“We may have next year’s figures for points and salary caps at an applicable level or may have got it horribly wrong, but this is what the advisory committee will do is review it and make decisions moving forward.”