AFL Victoria has sent the message loud and clear to all its clubs – cheat the looming player salary cap policy at your own risk.
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The draft salary cap policy was released by AFL Victoria on Friday and it’s clear that it means business in dealing with both clubs and players who are prepared to roll the dice and not play by the new rules.
Local footy clubs have known for more than a year that a salary cap was coming in 2017 given it was one of the key components of AFL Victoria’s Community Club Sustainability Program unveiled in May of 2015.
However, talk around the salary cap policy since has often followed with the rider that it’s all well and good to introduce such measures, but what purpose do they serve they if they can’t be adequately policed?
AFL Victoria’s proposed framework doesn’t guarantee 100 per cent compliance, but the penalties that have been touted certainly show you wouldn’t want to be the president or fellow official at a club that gets caught out on a salary cap breach.
The tougher penalties the better if this system is going to work, unlike the failed salary cap of yesteryear when AFL Central Victoria regional manager Paul Hamilton acknowledged: “When a salary cap was brought into local footy 20 years ago clubs didn’t want it, it was unrealistically low and just didn’t work… pretty simply clubs cheated it.”
Under this new policy no president will want to stand up in front of their playing group, members and supporters and tell them they are being stripped of up to 20 premiership points for the next three years or have been disqualified from playing finals for the next three years.
They are two of the sanctions – on top of a fine equal to the amount in which the club is in breach – that could be imposed on clubs who flaunt the policy by more than $25,000.
Even a minor breach of less than $5000 runs the risk of loss of premiership points and expulsion from finals.
Not to mention the club having its reputation smeared by being branded a salary cap cheat.
There is also a heavy onus that has been placed on players to ensure that the contract they sign exactly matches what they are receiving from their club.
For if it’s discovered not all payments and benefits are disclosed, players will be suspended for at least one year.
Hopefully, all clubs and players heed the message that has been clearly delivered.
Luke West – sports reporter