Player Payments
By Phil Murton EFL CEO
Player payments. Two words guaranteed to evoke passionate discussion and debate amongst anyone in local footy. Is there a solution? Can salary caps work in local footy? Are points systems the answer? Is there anything else we can do to limit or stop payments?
In recent times there has been an increasing concern within community football surrounding the implication of escalating player payments and the longer term sustainable nature of this growth on clubs and leagues. As a result, a working party has been established by AFL Victoria with the aim to investigate and address the issue. The Working Party consists of AFL Victoria Community Football Board representatives, AFL Vic Management, and CEO’s/GM’s of various metropolitan and country football leagues/regions. I am part of this group as a metro representative.
A similar working party has been established in South Australia who has similar issues, interestingly coming off the back of the introduction in 2011 of a state wide player points system. While points systems have shown to have benefits in certain circumstances, the example of South Australia and other leagues that have introduced points systems in Victoria indicates they alone are not the answer if reducing player payments is the goal.
Over the past 10 years the EFL has been conducting its own research into possible measures to increase competitiveness, including the player points system, to identify their effectiveness and suitability for introduction. Clubs have been briefed on these results at regular President’s meetings. What has been discovered is that on the main accepted benchmarks of measure: the number of different teams playing finals, the number of different teams playing in grand finals and the number of different premiers, in the period measured there is no discernible difference between the EFL, the VAFA (where no payments are made), and nearby competitions such as the Yarra Valley, Casey Cardinia and Mornington Peninsula, where points systems are in place. What is unmistakable is that promotion and relegation continues to be a great way for clubs to find their best level of competition.
EFL clubs were briefed on the working party at the start of the year prior to the group formally meeting. In conversations with club officials since, there appears a genuine willingness to engage in helping look for a solution and a sense of optimism that something can be developed. What is clear is that for anything to work, it must be implemented across the entire football landscape. And while the solution might not be exactly the same for every league, some general parameters would need to be developed from which a framework can be structured. Most importantly, if a system can be developed, the rules surrounding this must be clear and transparent and possible penalties for breaches by clubs and players very significant and a huge deterrent.
As part of a coordinated effort to tackle this issue on behalf of community football, almost every senior club in the State has recently received an invite to complete an anonymous online club survey to help identify player payment issues and how they are impacting on-field competitiveness, club sustainability, volunteer recruitment and retention, as well as ideas on how they can be better managed into the future. This survey forms part of the process that will provide important feedback that will be critical in ultimately shaping what will hopefully be a state-wide solution to this issue.
Clubs have been requested to form a group of relevant representatives from within the club to complete the survey which closes at 5pm on Friday the 25th of July 2014. All survey responses will be strictly anonymous and confidential, with the data from this research ultimately being reported in aggregate form.
Club representatives are requested to ensure their club completes the survey and response to assist in forming strategies to tackle the issue. While many questions remain, we encourage all clubs to take full advantage of this opportunity to have their say and contribute to this significant research.
What the exact answer is remains unclear. However, when there is a significant effort to look into the issues across the two biggest footballing states in Australia, it gives reason for optimism that something worthwhile may be developed that can help all clubs and leagues continue to grow and prosper.