Weekly Times | UNCERTAINTY surrounds AFL Victoria’s power to enforce implementation of its proposed equalisation measures.
AFL Victoria representatives refused to be drawn on whether the governing body would have the authority to enforce a player points model should community leagues decide not to adopt it. AFL Victoria’s equalisation working party was established in 2013, to find a solution to spiralling player payments. It met last week and will meet again before a proposed system is released for trial across the state.
AFL Victoria community football and engagement manager Brett Connell said it wanted to trial and introduce a system “that will be adopted by all leagues in Victoria to assist club sustainability”.
Points systems are designed to reward clubs who field local players and penalise those who recruit heavily from other clubs and leagues.
Connell said the details of the trial system would be released over the next two months to “encourage league and club feedback and support”.
“Based on the consultation process and input provided by community competitions all around Victoria, the Working Party anticipates leagues will be eager to be part of the statewide solution.”
But new AFL East Gippsland football operations manager Rod Twining, who administers the East Gippsland league’s points system, said the working party would struggle to find a solution to suit all competitions. He used the Bairnsdale Football Club — which recruits players from surrounding clubs for its senior team in the Gippsland league — as an example because clubs needed certain points considerations to cater for that arrangement.
The working party is also developing a salary cap to work alongside the points system. Twining was a league secretary when the former VCFL salary cap was in place.
“I vividly remember going along to a VCFL meeting where we all agreed ... the salary cap was basically unenforceable,” he said.
“That’s why the concept of this player points system was trialled and we certainly embraced it here.”