Salary cap set to be introduced into Riverina and Farrer League competitions

In a first for Riverina sport, a soft salary cap is set to be introduced into both leagues in 2018 and it will then be fully implemented for the 2019 season.

The move is part of a proposal from AFL NSW-ACT, that comes after more than 70 per cent of Riverina and Farrer clubs voted that the level of player payments has become unsustainable.

AFL NSW-ACT have released the findings of their recent survey of clubs, which also revealed that one Riverina League club expects to spend between $110,000 and $120,000 on player payments this year.

Hume League clubs have voted to implement a soft salary cap of $100,000 next year and AFL NSW-ACT wants Riverina, Farrer and AFL Canberra to follow their lead.

“It needs to be a regional model approach,” AFL Southern NSW community football manager Paul Habel said.

The player points system was adopted across all four competitions at once and AFL NSW-ACT want it to be the same with the salary cap.

Eleven of 18 Riverina and Farrer clubs voted in favour of a salary cap in the survey. AFL NSW-ACT will now ask the leagues what figure the salary cap should be.

The majority of Riverina League clubs believe the cap should be between somewhere between $70,000 and $90,000. Most Farrer League clubs voted for a cap of between $70,000 and $80,000.

At the same time, 14 of the 18 clubs do not believe a salary cap can be adequately regulated.

Habel said education is key.

“With a soft salary cap comes a really rigid educational process. We will sit down and go through an educational framework that we’re developing,” he said.

“We expect there will some resistance but we’ve got to remember the resistance will only come from not understanding how it’s going to work.

“The majority of clubs are concerned about the regulation of the salary cap but this is why we need to ensure that the educational framework is rigid and is given to the clubs and that they understand the process.”

The salary caps will be put to clubs in coming weeks. Under the proposal, the cap will be monitored by AFL NSW-ACT.