AFL Victoria will aggressively police its incoming statewide salary cap.
Under a draft submission delivered by the state’s governing body last week, clubs will be subject to detailed financial audits and player contracts will be put under the microscope to ensure salary caps aren’t being abused.
Any club found guilty of breaching the guidelines will face penalties, including club fines, relegation (where applicable), loss of premiership points, suspension from finals and individual player suspension.
Clubs that self-report any breaches to the player points system or salary cap will be shown leniency, while whistleblowers will be given immunity from potential sanctions.
As well as detailing its salary cap provisions, AFL Victoria has released guidelines for how its player points system will work.
The total number of allotted points for each team will be up to the discretion of the individual league.
Any player who has played at least one match at AFL level in the past three seasons will command the maximum six points.
State league tier 1 players (VFL, WAFL, SANFL) will command five points while state league tier 2 players (NEAFL, TASFL) will attract four points, as will TAC Cup players and “premium community players.”
A player’s standing as a premium community player will be determined by finishing positions in league and club best-and-fairest and goal-kicking leader boards.
If a player has played more than 40 junior matches for a club or is a one-club player they will only cost one point.
There are also additional penalties and deductions clubs will have to negotiate.
A player transferring from one club to another in the same competition will command an extra point, as will a player who has transferred between more than two clubs over a 36-month period.
Clubs will be able to deduct points for a player returning to their junior club or when a player has not represented any team for 36 months.
Local leagues will now brief their clubs and give feedback on the proposed changes.
Liam Twomey
