Salary cap impacting local footy clubs
December 14, 2022
AFL Tasmania's recently released salary cap paper which is expected to come into operation in 2023 is likely have major implications for NTFA clubs situated well outside the Launceston metropolitan area.
Scottsdale, Bridport, and the East Coast Swans will all be affected by the new guidelines.
AFL Tasmania claims the system will promote club financial stability; promote competitive balance between clubs; ensure that stronger clubs do not obtain any unfair proportion of the best players; and reward players for their level of training, playing and recovery commitments.
Under the scheme, statewide clubs would be limited to a maximum of $110,000 per year; NTFA premier league teams $65,000; and NTFA Div 1 clubs $40,000.
TSL players can receive no more than $600 per match; premier league players $400, and Div 1 players $250.
There is also a cap on the amount coaches can earn.
In the NTFA premier league the limit is $30,000 per season, while Div 1 coaches are limited to $20,000.
AFL Tasmania intends to appoint an investigations team to scrutinise any breaches of the system. Penalties can include loss of premiership points, suspension or deregistration of players and officials, and fines.
A Player Payment Board (PPB) has been formed to administer the system and consider any exemptions, in particular travel allowances.
The board will comprise representatives from each region, an AFL Tasmania nominee, and an independent chairman. The NTFA member is former Scottsdale coach Damien Rhind, and the chairman is Jim Wilkinson.
The NTFA is the only football jurisdiction which supports an allowance for travel, but a suggested model is far less than most isolated clubs like Bridport, East Coast and Scottsdale would have budgeted for in previous seasons.
While TSL clubs receive financial assistance from AFL Tasmania, other community clubs have to rely on their own fundraising to remain sustainable.
With the season just over three months away, there are still a number of unanswered questions in AFL Tasmania's quest for a workable and equitable salary cap.