Changes to salary cap hit Border Districts Football Club

BORDER Districts Football Club hasn’t won a premiership since it formed out of a merger in 1992 but in president Wayne Hawkins’s eyes, it helps the Frances community have a win every weekend.

BORDER Districts Football Club hasn’t won a premiership since it formed out of a merger in 1992 but in president Wayne Hawkins’s eyes, it helps the Frances community have a win every weekend.

Formed out of the merger of tiny SA South-East town Frances and Victorian town Goroke in 1992, the club is the glue that holds the community together.

“When I see a couple of hundred people in the clubrooms on a Saturday night that’s a win,’’ he said. “It keeps the community going. If we don’t have a football club, we don’t have that, and the area dies.’’

Border Districts plays in the Kowree Naracoorte Tatiara League. The Eagles have their own unique issues but in many ways, their tale is typical of dozens of country football clubs across SA. Farms have increased in size and country populations have shrunk.

To maintain a football team, the club pays about eight players from Adelaide to travel down each week. It sees this arrangement as a worthwhile investment.

From next year, the club will have to pay its recruits within a new salary cap being introduced across the state by the SA Community Football League.

Mr Hawkins believes the Eagles can work within the cap of $4000 a match.

Mileage allowances will allow them to continue paying up to about $6000 a match.

Across in the Mallee Football League — where similar dwindling populations have again given rise to a need to recruit — the Peake Football Club estimates it pays 12 players a week.

“We just don’t have as many footballers,’’ club president Brad Poole said. He believed the club could pay within the cap and compete, as long as other clubs also played by the rules. “If everyone plays by the rules as we plan to, then we should be OK because the price of players should come down,’’ he said.

Karoonda Football Club pays about six city players.

“It’s tough to expect those guys to give up their whole weekends to play for the area they care about and not even break even,” club president Luke Hocking said.

SA Community Football League Player Payments Cap explained

— Cap of $4000 on team spending per match ($3000 in the amateur league)

— Cap on individual match payments of $500 per match ($400 in amateur league)

— One “marquee” player can be paid $1000 per match (not allowed in amateur league)

— Mileage allowance can be paid at $50 cents per km for round trips of 100km upwards, outside of the cap.

— Weekly award of up to $600 can be paid outside the cap (no more than $300 per individual)

— Sing-on fees banned

— Clubs required to record and disclose all player payments

— Clubs caught flouting rules to be stripped of eight premiership points for the following two seasons and incur big fines