West Croydon docked premiership points under Adelaide Footy League Behaviour Rating System

A local SA footy club has been stripped of premiership points just two rounds before finals after a number of suspensions in season 2024.

A local SA footy club has been docked premiership points for poor on-field behaviour just two rounds before finals.

Division five Adelaide Footy League club West Croydon has been stripped of eight premiership points across all senior grades under the league’s Behaviour Rating System (BRS) after receiving five suspensions in 2024.

The AdFL BRS, which was introduced in 2018 to combat bad behaviour by players and clubs, places clubs under five categories through points accumulated for tribunal performance over the previous three years, with additional penalties such as fines and point deductions applying to clubs ranked in categories three to five for every further suspension.

West Croydon entered the season as a category three club but five separate suspensions at the senior level ranging from striking to misconduct and umpire abuse placed the Hawks under category five and has earned them an eight-point deduction across all senior men’s grades as well as possible fines.

West Croydon has been docked eight premiership points across all senior grades. Picture: Adelaide Footy League

The length of these suspensions ranged from three to six weeks.

The club’s A Grade side was winless prior to the punishment and will remain at the bottom of the ladder, while the B Grade side will miss finals after falling from fifth to eighth.

This masthead also understands a number of off-field incidents including a physical altercation were considered by the league when handing down the punishment.

While the AdFL can also consider the future of category five clubs in the competition, league chief John Kernahan said the Hawks would remain but under a new affiliation agreement with terms to be established.

“Clubs are advised at the completion of each season where they have finished and where they will start in the next,” Kernahan said.

“Clubs are also offered a running commentary of their rating in the same way someone might be advised of a demerit point loss with a traffic infringement.

“West Croydon’s affiliation per se is not under review for 2025 but certainly the conditions in which they are affiliated will have some very clear guidelines.”

While the league has received attention for major incidents of violence and abuse in the past, these occurrences have become less common since the introduction of the BRS in 2018, with a fight between a Pembroke OS fan and Scotch OC player in division three which resulted in a nine-week ban for the player and lifetime ban for the spectator being the only major incident of the year.

Kernahan believed clubs continuing to adhere to rules and regulations would be key to the competition’s future growth.

“We’re in a really fortunate dynamic with our clubs that they don’t need a message to be reaffirmed at all,” he said.

Adelaide Footy League chief John Kernahan. Picture: Emma Brasier

“While the evolution of the BRS was on the back of some heavy lifting by the league at the time, the greater majority of our clubs are in fact the ones holding the league to account on these standards.

“Unfortunately time dilutes the reasons these initiatives came into force – there was a time not so long ago where what happened at the footy stayed at the footy.

“For whatever reason, the general public has a higher expectation of what is on offer and if not delivered, they don’t come back to play or be part of a club.

“Footy is not the only pastime on offer these days. We’re competing with a range of interests, from other codes, work or quite simply, people picking and choosing where they spend their time and money.”

The West Croydon Football Club was contacted by this masthead.