Club Payments Crackdown

[marbles]

Can confirm that one league in a westerly direction from Adelaide, have already met with club presidents. This league have apparently decided to walk away from the SACFL if the rules as they are now written, are implemented. Word is that it could be a snowball effect and others could also go. If one leaves others will also possibly go. That means that all players are 0 points going out and 0 going in. That's a relief that country footy won't be effected.

Such a move could further inflame/increase the monetary gas leak in the economy and such rebel groups would be dealt with further constraints from the tax department? Ie: Entities not abiding by community state wide sporting regulations may instead be treated as a business or some other type of category which may attract penalties or higher taxation clamps? Lol

[Pag]

For what it's worth, the assertions coming from opponents of a salary cap that the chief agitators are the Amateur Clubs is off the mark.

For 90% of Amateur Clubs it doesn't affect them one way or the other and for most Amateur Clubs the drain of players to the country is at most a minor treacle.

The prime agitator is the SANFL and League Clubs whose competition is being hurt far more by "big money" country (and city) offers.

The salary cap is their way of dealing with the drain from SANFL reserves without confronting the more serious underlying issues facing that competition.

Well said mate.

[cracka]

Can confirm that one league in a westerly direction from Adelaide, have already met with club presidents. This league have apparently decided to walk away from the SACFL if the rules as they are now written, are implemented. Word is that it could be a snowball effect and others could also go. If one leaves others will also possibly go. That means that all players are 0 points going out and 0 going in. That's a relief that country footy won't be effected.

Well thats what you want, isn't it.

[Look Good In Leather]

The whole concept is designed to save the AFL Reserves competition, although I note strong support from the Channel 9 league.

One area it does not address is players being employed through the club, ie being granted job opportunities due to playing at a particular club. I know of a number of players who have turned down good money in the country or at district clubs because they have been offered a role at a law firm, physiotherapy chain, etc if they play football at their old scholars club.
Surely for fairness the equivalent of a recruitment agency fee should be counted towards the cap for these circumstances.

[oyster]

The whole concept is designed to save the AFL Reserves competition, although I note strong support from the Channel 9 league.

One area it does not address is players being employed through the club, ie being granted job opportunities due to playing at a particular club. I know of a number of players who have turned down good money in the country or at district clubs because they have been offered a role at a law firm, physiotherapy chain, etc if they play football at their old scholars club.
Surely for fairness the equivalent of a recruitment agency fee should be counted towards the cap for these circumstances.

Clearly the rules have been designed primarily, to try and save players leaving the SANFL reserves and the top divisions of the SAAFL. Perhaps the SANFL and SAAFL clubs should up their player payments, rather than trying to penalise the 20+ country leagues around the state. It just won't happen anyway, so no need to get too worried. As I said in a previous post, one league west of Adelaide has already said that they will walk away from the Fantasy Football League, if the draft plans of only spending $3,000 a game are implemented. It only sounds like it will take one league to pull the pin on the Fantasy FL and others will also walk away. The other country leagues won't allow one league to have all 0 points players coming into their league, with them missing out. Sure the country leagues who pull the pin will also have players worth 0 points going out, but that isn't an issue, as they hold the balance of power with recruiting and $$$.

A perfect solution would be to scrap the SANFL reserves and let the SAAFL clubs be feeder clubs to the SANFL league sides. That would be the best solution. Anyway, it just won't happen and the people who made the decision and draft paper on this topic, no longer hold the power or are relevant to what country leagues will do.

[Jetters]

I think this is a great initiative. It's a sad state of affairs when club administrators have are so financially irresponsible that this decision has to be made to prevent further mismanagement.

It will be hard to give this tiger teeth, but nevertheless (I can't believe I'm agreeing with @morrell) just because it will be difficult doesn't mean the appropriate action shouldn't be taken

It's a shame for volunteers and particularly country footy followers who pour time and money into their clubs for these efforts to capped in a way. If you are a wealthy farmer and your passion is watching your local footy team, you put a stack of $$ into your club, for there to be rules saying sorry, you can't invest your money your into players, therefore the game a lower standard, your team loses and you don't get the same kick out of it, seems philosophically unfair. Same as a club with twice the volunteers, work harder to generate twice the $$, they should get to see their effort pay off by watching their team win more often.

However, we may be doing these people a favour by ensuring the longevity of their passion. If you were watching an 8/10 standard game this year, and next year you are watching a 7/10 game, does that really matter? Surely the essence of your passion is the connections you have made at your club and community and the competition itself, irrespective that the competition may be slightly weaker.

Clubs with extra volunteers and resources may now be forced to invest more into juniors, facilities and deliver other long term value for their club.

Arguments re tax office concerns are surely taking the piss... it would be so insignificant on their radar.

Arguments about regulating other incentives such as jobs I think are also irrelevant... these incentives don't effect the continued existence of clubs' or leagues'. Incentives outside of taking $$ from the club bank should be encouraged as it is a sustainable option and ensures dollars are invested back in the club.

Perhaps there should be a clause in the CFL rules to allow a sliding scale of salary cap depending on geography, ie country clubs have a slightly increased cap to allow for payment for travel.

[Look Good In Leather]

If you were watching an 8/10 standard game this year, and next year you are watching a 7/10 game

...and this here is one of the aims. Reduce the overall quality of country footy to prop up the AFL Reserves competition and the Channel 9 league.

The rubbish about saving clubs and the like is just a smokescreen.

I am totally opposed to it, and my club is positioned to be one of the biggest beneficiaries (currently not spending big, close to city so should be able to just match the $500 and be more attractive because of the lesser travel).

[Pag]

Isn't the idea of this (despite its obvious flaws) to try to stop what has happened to Hamley Bridge, where their club has almost folded and are now suffering 50-goal floggings after winning a flag? Not to drag the standard down and prop up the amateurs as you suggest?

[heater31]

Financial mismanagement is an excellent point. I wonder how many committee members of all sports clubs (not just football) understand their obligations under the Incorporations Act?

[Look Good In Leather]

Isn't the idea of this (despite its obvious flaws) to try to stop what has happened to Hamley Bridge, where their club has almost folded and are now suffering 50-goal floggings after winning a flag? Not to drag the standard down and prop up the amateurs as you suggest?

Surely it is the responsibility of the clubs to spend within their means, if they go beyond that then they might struggle or even fold. Big f-ing whoopee!

We don't need the Community Football League or AFLSA to save us from ourselves. If clubs want to be stupid, let them hurt themselves, why make life harder by creating more paperwork and red-tape for the majority just because one bunch of idiots have gone too far.

How does the Hamley Bridge situation hurt anyone outside the APFL? They stuffed up and are now paying for it, big deal. It certainly has no effect on my club, or a club in the WBFL, KNTFL, GSFL or FWFL. Likewise Kilburn's issues last year caused no issues for the Southern Football League or anyone else in the state.

[morell]

Anyone that thinks unregulated football budgets for community football leagues are harmless and won't affect them need a lesson in fundamental supply and demand economics.

It's a similar story to how unaffordability in the housing market is actually extremely dangerous for real estate investors. As it's impossible for people to buy a property, the demand decreases, when demand decreases, you have an oversupply, when you have an oversupply the value of the good drops, when the value of the good drops investors start to sell, which exacerbates the oversupply and the market "crashes".

In order to be competitive some football clubs and leagues have effectively created a market bubble by overpaying and over inflating football budgets. As clubs struggle to remain competitive and generate enough revenue, the market of playing football becomes unaffordable for those clubs, then they start shutting their doors. As there is nowhere local or convenient to play for the kids of the area the demand to play football drops and they decide on Soccer or Basketball or Video Games instead. After a while there are more clubs than there are kids to fill them and the football market crashes. The feed of young men that these high playing leagues and clubs are so greedily snapping up all of sudden won't be there anymore. They'll be playing Soccer. Those clubs will then become a victim to the same economic cycle and will have to shut their doors, or reduce the number of sides or junior programs...

Is this what we want? Clubs folding, leagues dropping away, reduced junior programs and kids choosing Soccer? Just so you can have a paid-for-premiership? It seems unimaginable but let's stop pretending that this is a Country vs Metro issues or an SANFL vs GSFL issue. It's more profound and critical than that. This is a survival of the sport issue. It has to be done - some clubs might feel like they're being dealt the rough end of the stick, but regulating and controlling football budgets will ensure that the stick only hurts a little bit now so that they can survive and be around in 2050 to enjoy the sport.

[Jim05]

Anyone that thinks unregulated football budgets for community football leagues are harmless and won't affect them need a lesson in fundamental supply and demand economics.

It's a similar story to how unaffordability in the housing market is actually extremely dangerous for real estate investors. As it's impossible for people to buy a property, the demand decreases, when demand decreases, you have an oversupply, when you have an oversupply the value of the good drops, when the value of the good drops investors start to sell, which exacerbates the oversupply and the market "crashes".

In order to be competitive some football clubs and leagues have effectively created a market bubble by overpaying and over inflating football budgets. As clubs struggle to remain competitive and generate enough revenue, the market of playing football becomes unaffordable for those clubs, then they start shutting their doors. As there is nowhere local or convenient to play for the kids of the area the demand to play football drops and they decide on Soccer or Basketball or Video Games instead. After a while there are more clubs than there are kids to fill them and the football market crashes. The feed of young men that these high playing leagues and clubs are so greedily snapping up all of sudden won't be there anymore. They'll be playing Soccer. Those clubs will then become a victim to the same economic cycle and will have to shut their doors, or reduce the number of sides or junior programs...

Is this what we want? Clubs folding, leagues dropping away, reduced junior programs and kids choosing Soccer? It seems unimaginable but let's stop pretending that this is a Country vs Metro issues or an SANFL vs GSFL issue. It's more profound and critical than that. This is a survival of the sport issue. It has to be done - some clubs might feel like they're being dealt the rough end of the stick, but regulating and controlling football budgets will ensure that the stick only hurts a little bit now so that they can survive and be around in 2050 to enjoy the sport.

But what people fail to realise is that quite often the clubs are living well within their means and not spending huge money on players. If you have a wealthy farmer, supporter or business who wants to pay blokes for their personel enjoyment good luck to them.
In the Hamley Bridge case I believe 1 person spent over $100k of his own money not the clubs, surely there is no harm in this

[morell]

That farmer tipping in a stack of money creates a bubble in that market, as then the others teams will naturally try and match it. That bubble is unsustainable for most and it will eventually force clubs to close their doors. When those clubs close those doors, the kids and juniors that they would have normally serviced have to choose something else - like Soccer. If you repeat that across all the leagues and competitions across the state, there won't be any gun SANFL Reserves footballers for people to recruit...lower numbers of kids choosing football hurts everyone.

So that farmer may very well think hes doing the right thing and that paid-for-premiership will be great to talk about at the reunion in 25 years time , I only hope the Soccer club that took over the facility and oval lets them use their facilities for a fair price - maybe the farmers son could help out again?

[Dogwatcher]

Hamley Bridge Soccer Club

[morell]

It might not be the Hamley Bridge Soccer Club, maybe the Gawler Soccer Club need a new home? Currently has over 30 teams in the FFSA State League, SAASL, SAWSA, EDJSA and FFSA Junior Premier League.

People arguing against these measures need to understand where the sport is at and how competitive the modern landscape is now and is going to be in regards to which sports kids pick to play.

We're getting beaten:

Soccer beating football in battle of codes amongst kids

[Dogwatcher]

I know what you're saying. I get it and am nitpicking, mainly because I know a little of the sporting community here.

The Gawler Eagles ain't going to Hamley Bridge
By the way, my understanding is that they, too, are finding the issue of player payments perplexing.

[Robb_Stark]

would you say if the football side of it was to collapse would then the follow on effect to the netball side of it happen as well

[morell]

I know what you're saying. I get it and am nitpicking, mainly because I know a little of the sporting community here.

The Gawler Eagles ain't going to Hamley Bridge
By the way, my understanding is that they, too, are finding the issue of player payments perplexing.

Haha, fair enough.

Yeah its an issue in Soccer too - so lets put them to the sword! If we can provide a sustainable market for as many football clubs to operate in as possible to ensure as much choice and convenience for kids to play footy, whilst Soccer makes it more difficult, then that's a bloody good thing for us.

More clubs = more choice = more kids playing footy = more recruits for Hamley Bridge to spend their reasonable football budget on in the future.

[morell]

would you say if the football side of it was to collapse would then the follow on effect to the netball side of it happen as well

Potentially, but I would guess that the Netball clubs which are part of a traditional Cricket, Football, Netball Sports Club structure would just keep going under a Cricket, Soccer, Netball Sport Club structure perhaps.

[Jetters]

It might not be the Hamley Bridge Soccer Club, maybe the Gawler Soccer Club need a new home? Currently has over 30 teams in the FFSA State League, SAASL, SAWSA, EDJSA and FFSA Junior Premier League.

People arguing against these measures need to understand where the sport is at and how competitive the modern landscape is now and is going to be in regards to which sports kids pick to play.

We're getting beaten:

Soccer beating football in battle of codes amongst kids

Our failure with juniors is our failure to diversify. We need more girls playing and kids from non-traditional football families. Also, junior leagues need to start adopting rules to give kids the best opportunity to love footy.