FIVE Bendigo Football-Netball League clubs have the most stringent allocation of player points among “Premier Community Competitions” across Victoria this year.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
One of the features of the AFL Victoria Community Club Sustainability Program being introduced in local football this year is a player points system.
While the rating system that ranks players from one to six points based on their footballing history was developed by AFL Victoria, the allocation of points per club was left to the discretion of regional commissions and league boards.
The allocation of 36 points for Sandhurst, Golden Square, Strathfieldsaye, Gisborne and Eaglehawk among the 17 regional and metropolitan “Premier Community Competitions” is clearly the most stringent.
The only other “Premier Community Competitions” surveyed by the Bendigo Advertiser that have allocated less than 40 points to any of their clubs is the Southern and Peninsula leagues, which both already had a player points system in place.
While the BFNL has a tiered points system in place – it has also allocated 43 points to Kangaroo Flat and South Bendigo and 45 to Castlemaine, Kyneton and Maryborough – most competitions have opted for a blanket allocation across their clubs.
All “Premier Community Competition” metropolitan leagues with information available – Southern says its points are yet to be finalised – have allocated the maximum 50 points to their clubs. Those extra 14 points compared to the five BFNL clubs on 36 equate to the equivalent of, for example, recruiting an additional AFL player (six points), VFL player (five points) and Senior Community player (three points).
Around the regional premier leagues, Ballarat (minimum 45 points), Goulburn Valley (45) and Murray (46) have all set their minimum points equal to – or higher than – Bendigo’s highest allocation of 45.
As such, Ballarat reigning premiers Darely and defending Goulburn Valley league champions Benalla’s allocation of 45 is the same as Maryborough, which lost all 18 games in the Bendigo league last year by an average of 112 points. Not to mention the extra capacity for them and their fellow clubs to recruit talent with the nine-point advantage on the BFNL’s five on 36.
However, AFL Central Victoria regional manager Paul Hamilton expects the five BFNL clubs with the 36 points to be benefited by the two-point deductions in place across the region for the first year of the system.
A player has one point deducted for each season of service to the club. For this year, players who are staying at a club will have two points stripped, meaning a three-point player last year will now become one point.
However, the Geelong, Goulburn Valley, Murray, Eastern, Essendon District and Northern leagues are also all offering two-point deductions this year.
“One of the key things we’ve looked at is the points that teams were on last year. Half our clubs have got 42 to 45 points and they would probably compare favourably with other leagues, and probably more so given they have two-point reductions,” Hamilton said this week.
“Those five clubs that are on 36 points, when you look at what they were on last year, you’d find that we’re not asking Eaglehawk, Sandhurst or Golden Square to reduce their points and Gisborne was nowhere near that figure. The only club that has been asked to come down a bit is Strathfieldsaye, but it’s not considerably.
“It seems we’ve done a lot more work than some other regions and what that may mean is in the second year we’ll be quite well advanced… there will obviously be some adjustments up and down, but what we’ve tried to do is be true to the philosophies of the system.
“When you look at those clubs on 36 points, they’ve all got strong junior systems, or they’ve also had some success and been able to retain players.
“But we do acknowledge that the system is going to take a few years to get right.”
What we’ve tried to do is be true to the philosophies of the system
- Paul Hamilton
PREMIUM COMMUNITY LEAGUE POINTS ALLOCATIONS:
REGIONAL:
BALLARAT:
Points allocations – 45 for 10 clubs; 50 for one (Sebastopol).
Players per team – 22.
2016 deductions – 1 point.
GEELONG:
Points allocations – 40 for 10 clubs; 42 for two (Lara and North Shore).
Players per team – 22.
2016 deductions – 2 points.
GIPPSLAND:
No information provided.
GOULBURN VALLEY:
Points allocations – 45 for all clubs.
Players per team – 21.
2016 deductions – 2 points.
HAMPDEN:
Points allocations – 40 for six clubs; 42 for one (Camperdown); 52 for one (Port Fairy).
Players per team – 21.
2016 deductions – 1 point.
MURRAY:
Points allocations – 46 for all clubs.
Players per team – 22 (includes one under-17 sub).
2016 deductions – 2 points.
OVENS AND MURRAY:
Points allocations – 42 for nine teams; 46 for one (Myrtleford).
Players per team – 21.
2016 deductions – 1 point.
PENINSULA:
Points allocations – 39 for all clubs.
Players per team – 22.
2016 deductions – 1 point.
- Player points system was already in place.
SOUTH EAST:
Points allocations – 39 for six clubs; 42 for one (Officer); 43 for one (Hampton Park); 44 for one (Tooradin-Dalmore).
Players per team – 22.
2016 deductions – 1 point.
- Player points system was already in place.
YARRA VALLEY MOUNTAIN DISTRICT:
Points allocations – 40 for all clubs.
Players per team – 22.
2016 deductions – 1 point.
- Player points system was already in place.
METROPOLITAN:
EASTERN:
Points allocations – 50 for all clubs.
Players per team – 22.
2016 deductions – 2 points.
ESSENDON DISTRICT PREMIER:
Points allocations – 50 for all clubs.
Players per team – 22.
2016 deductions – 2 points.
NORTHERN DIVISION ONE:
Points allocations – 50 for all clubs.
Players per team – 22.
2016 deductions – 2 points.
SOUTHERN DIVISION ONE:
Point allocations yet to be finalised.
VICTORIAN AMATEURS PREMIER DIVISION:
Points allocations – yet to be confirmed, but expected to be 50 for all clubs.
Players per team – 22.
2016 deductions – yet to be confirmed.
WESTERN REGION DIVISION ONE:
Points allocations – 50 for all clubs.
Players per team – 22.
2016 deductions – 1 point.