How lockdown can help footy codes address some simmering issues

My elder brother and I would work on the family farm to raise money to buy a cricket ball we'd treat with as much care as a fine piece of china, and hit ball after ball until mum and dad demanded we come inside.

It's the philosophy local footballers need to adopt as they come to grips with the fact playing for the love of the game may be their only reward for this year at least.

You don't need a degree in finance to work out if clubs don't have any cash flow with sponsors fighting their own battles, as well as no gate takings or memberships, then something has to give.

I'm convinced most players have enough perspective to realise any contracts they brokered with clubs, whether they be in AFL Riverina or Group Nine, should now be null and void due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

To sprout a cliche the goalposts have changed, and everyone must do their bit to ensure the game and clubs they love thrive well after this year.

Most teams adopt a game-by-game payment model regardless, an approach encouraged by the AFL, which should make the process a little easier.

AFL Riverina were the first to pull the trigger when they announced on Friday they strongly encourage local leagues to adopt the AFL's recommendation they slash this year's salary cap in half.

It's like cashing in shares as the stock market crashes, only to watch it recover and boom again. Some cash is nice in the short term, but these measures are put in place so clubs will survive, and players can continue to earn money after we emerge from the current crisis.

You need only need to go for a stroll down the street right now, with tumbleweeds nearly knocking you off your feet as businesses struggle to stay afloat, to know football was going to be similarly affected.

Sure, players take match payments into consideration when they're planning on how to pay bills. It's a job, just like anything else.

But something has to give, otherwise clubs simply won't be sustainable long term.

"We hope it doesn't come to players throwing in the towel because they're not being paid the full amount," AFL Southern NSW regional manager Marc Geppert said.

"In the current climate you'd hope the clubs and players are on the same page, and I think they will be. I've already heard rumours across the region where some players have offered to play for free.

"It's unfortunate because the paid player relying on that income to pay off a house or a car might be impacted, but at the same time there's people in every day jobs not getting paid now.

"When you're a paid player it's a form of employment, and unfortunately the employment environment at the moment isn't great."

It could be a chance for football codes to address the ever-increasing amount of money being paid to players, which some clubs view as a concern.

If AFL Riverina clubs can get by OK on a $45,000 salary cap this year instead of $90,000, maybe there's scope to continue with a similar model once the pandemic ends. Then clubs would have more money in their coffers should more unforeseen circumstances upset the apple cart in the future.

Junee Diesels president Simon Vanzanten certainly views the situation as a chance for Group Nine clubs to addressing spiralling player payments.

"It could be a great thing for rugby league to realise you're not playing for the money anymore," he told The Daily Advertiser early this month.

"Things don't get fixed until they get blown up, do they? The money side of things has been ridiculous to be honest in Group Nine for the quality of players you get.

"The money is way over the top and this could be a way of bringing it back to reality and making it sustainable for a period of time.

"I'd rather have a group approach where you play for minimal local payments across the board and everyone agrees on that so there's no transferring of players across the board."

Every footballer in the region first picked up a Steeden or Sherrin as a young.tacker simply because they loved the game, and mucking around with their mates.

Let's get back to that mindset and ensure the pleasure we all get from watching the game on a Saturday with a pie and coke in hand remains present well into the future.

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