Weekly Times | THE first briefings for leagues and clubs on AFL Victoria’s proposed equalisation measures have been held this week.
The Community Club Sustainability Program, as it has been dubbed, is being developed to tackle rising player payments and includes a points system and salary cap.
It has been confirmed clubs and leagues associated with AFL Barwon and AFL North East Border will meet this week to hear how the new program will be applied to their own teams and competitions.
AFL Barwon and AFL NEB region general managers Lee Hartman and John O’Donohue are on the panel developing the program.
All leagues and clubs are expected to have meetings this month where possible to be briefed on the program and how it will operate in relation to each of them.
The testing of the measures, now scheduled for June and July, can then start.
The final equalisation measures will be adopted statewide, but there will be slight variations from league to league to allow for different locations and scenarios.
AFL Victoria hopes the testing phase will refine those regional variations, including the points allocated to each team and leagues’ salary cap figures.
In country leagues adaptations will be overseen by the region general managers, but AFL Victoria will grant final approval.
The points system will classify players on their playing history, rewarding club loyalty and junior development.
AFL Barwon announced last week that short-term plans to restructure the Geelong, Bellarine and Geelong and District leagues were on hold, and the introduction of these measures was a constant issue raised by the clubs.
AFL Barwon football development manager Luke Maher said the question that needed to be answered for clubs was what added pressure would the measures put on volunteers.
“Certainly they’re trying to make it so there isn’t any added pressure but I’m sure there will be,” he said.
He said clubs had to look to their juniors, as it would save them both points and money.
