By Lance Jenkinson
The ceiling on salary caps across AFL Gippsland’s leagues was set to lower even before the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
The overseeing bodies take into account a multitude of factors before setting each league’s salary limits and some alarming trends coming out of certain clubs had dictated a cap compression before the pandemic took a sledgehammer to revenue.
AFL Gippsland area manager Don Harley said there was more to the application of salary caps at local football level than just how well your favourite player is remunerated.
“Parity, or on-field competitiveness, is only one factor when producing a cap,“ he said.
“We have some clubs around the state who are on payment plans for their insurance, yet have paid players out in full.
“That is an alarming statistic that the pressure to pay players is prioritised over other required payments.“
No business in the sports and recreation sphere has been immune to the challenges of operating through the pandemic.
Football clubs are no different and that was taken into account by AFL Gippsland when finalising a number for salary caps across the three leagues.
The Gippsland League will have the biggest cap in 2021 at $120,000, the West Gippsland Football Netball Competition is set at $90,000 and the Ellinbank and District Football League will be $65,000.
The relief in player payments has been welcomed by some clubs.
“There has been ongoing feedback from clubs and leagues on the need to reduce salary caps, starting from way before Covid-19 hit,“ Harley said.
“It’s [the pandemic] increased the responsibility in our role for protecting clubs against the effects of Covid.
“Some clubs will feel the impact of Covid greater than others by virtue of where they get their income.
“Both clubs and leagues have acknowledged that pressure arising from salary caps remaining as they were could spell dire circumstances for some clubs who would feel the need to try and compete with clubs who might be unaffected.
“Most have appreciated the reduction is responsible.“
One of the battles for all clubs is weighing up on-field success versus off-field sustainability.
The lowering of the caps for 2021 could help prune some of the money not being reinvested in what Harley calls the “footy economy“.
“We have clubs that are reporting the highest salary cap spends, but who simultaneously record the lower scores in our annual facilities audits,“ he said.
“Our internal review showed there was not a definitive correlation between those who were spending the most and those who were winning.
“With that being the case, we needed to reduce the money being lost to the footy economy.
“Could that money be better spent on facilities or on coaches or on junior programming?
“All more sustainable outcomes that would play a role in attracting players anyway.“
Harley insisted that salary cap figures were not “picked from the sky“.
He said AFL Gippsland leagues would remain competitive with metro leagues.
“All leagues have reduced [the cap] across the state,“ he said.
“We’re seeing metropolitan leagues drop from $200,000 to only $100,000, so our caps remain competitive, insofar as they still allow our clubs the same chance to attract good players as in previous years.
“We looked very carefully at what all clubs and leagues in Gippsland were spending and the data shows the reductions are fairly consistent with the average spends of clubs anyway.
“We found a level in each league that comfortably catered for clubs to meet any league fees, insurance fees, facility development, club development and parity, while also assisting clubs to manage the impacts of Covid.
“Clubs aggrieved by the reduction, on account of difficulties attracting players to remote areas, can utilise the existing mechanism for an additional spend, which is to apply to the commission for an allowance.“
The player points structure across AFL Gippsland leagues will remain the same as this interrupted season.
“We’ve kept our existing points structure as had been allocated for 2020,“ Harley said.
“The reason is that those points were amongst the highest in the state as it was anyway and an internal review showed that not one club in Gippsland was getting close to their limit on a consistent basis.“
Gippsland League
Salary cap: $120,000
Player points allocation: Bairnsdale 44, Drouin 42, Leongatha 39, Maffra 38, Moe 40, Morwell 44, Sale 41, Traralgon 44, Warragul 44, Wonthaggi 43.
West Gippsland Football Netball Competition
Salary cap: $90,000
Player points allocation: Bunyip 44, Cora Lynn 40, Dalyston 47, Garfield 44, Inverloch-Kongwak 42, Kilcunda Bass 47, Kooweerup 41, Korumburra-Bena 45, Nar Nar Goon 44, Phillip Island 39, Tooradin-Dalmore 41, Warragul Industrials 47.
Ellinbank and District FL
Salary cap: $65,000
Player points allocation: Buln Buln 44, Catani 44, Ellinbank 40, Lang Lang 46, Longwarry 39, Neerim Neerim South 41, Nilma Darnum 46, Nyora 43, Poowong 42, Yarragon 45.
