Adelaide Footy League salary cap to remain the same, but clubs will vote on interchange increase
Adelaide Footy League clubs have turned down the chance to increase the player payment cap, but another rule change is on the cards for the upcoming season.
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Amateur football clubs have rejected the chance to increase the player payment cap, but will consider increasing the interchange bench and trial the last possession out-of-bounds rule.
The Adelaide Footy League surveyed clubs on a range of issues following the 2019 season to gauge interest in changes to the rules and regulations.
The competition’s player payment cap is set at $3000 per week, which is $500 less than allowed in country leagues under the SANFL community football department’s rules.
In the survey, 43 per cent of clubs indicated a desire to keep the maximum for total weekly payments the same for 2020.
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Another 35 per cent wanted to increase it to $3500 – but with variations on the maximum for a single player – and 21 per cent wished to reduce it to $2500.
The lack of strong interest for change means the league’s 67 clubs will not vote on raising the salary cap at the annual general meeting on February 28.
However, they will discuss and vote on adding an extra number to the interchange, sparked by the SANFL’s decision to move to a four-player bench.
The Adelaide Footy League has three players on the bench during A-grade matches, which is then increased to four during finals only.
In the league’s survey, 49 per cent voted to have four on the bench, 45 per cent wanted no change and three clubs wanted a three-player interchange for both regular season and finals.
The SANFL broke with tradition in November and increased its interchange from three to four players for the first time in league history.
But Adelaide Footy League chief executive John Kernahan said an extra player on the bench would not mean an increase to the Approved Player Points System (APPS).
“Quite simply, we can’t,” Kernahan said.
“Upon the introduction of the points system, the AdFL clubs made a determination to allocate the full quota of 15 points to do as they please so there’s no more.”
The APPS is a rating system which allocates points to recruits based on factors such as their age and the previous level played at.
The SANFL’s last possession out-of-bounds rule, which was introduced by the state league in 2016, is set to be trialled in amateur pre-season practice matches in the coming months.
It will then be discussed further ahead of the 2021 season.
“Last possession will be trialled for two weekends of trial matches before we revert to normal in the last weekend of trial matches before the season proper,” Kernahan said.
“We’ll then survey clubs throughout the year on their views as to how it may progress if at all for season 2021.”