AFL 2022: Soft cap boost to ease pressure on football departments

It seems the AFL has been listening to the chorus of concerns over the reduced soft cap, with the handbrake set to be released to help boost football department staff levels.

The AFL wants to increase the soft cap by $500,000 for next season to help boost football department staff levels.

The league told a meeting of club chief executives on Wednesday the soft cap would likely increase to about $7 million (plus a separate $700,000 welfare provision) per club for 2023.

Clubs would be permitted to spend the extra money on staff such as coaches, physios or medicos or other personnel related to the football program.

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Carlton along with all club football departments will receive an extra $500,000 next season. Picture: Michael Klein

The boost was welcomed by clubs who have campaigned hard for more soft cap money after crippling cuts in the wake of Covid-19.

The league argued the economic impacts of the pandemic was the main reason for the heavy reduction which saw clubs’ soft cap cut from $9.7 million to about $6.2 million in 2020.

But clubs argued the cuts were too deep, saying staff were over worked and in some cases unable to provide the attention, care and support required across the full list.

The boost will be delivered to clubs for next season after Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury highlighted the need for more cash on Tuesday to support players’ and staff’s wellbeing in a high pressure AFL environment.

League says tweaks have made game more free-flowing

The AFL has backed its controversial rule changes in a meeting with club chief executives, saying the tweaks have improved scoring and made the game more free-flowing.

But the jury remains out on a new team in Tasmania, with clubs requesting more information on the funding, stadium and list build before giving a green light.

There was also discussion on declining attendances in the wake of Covid-19 as clubs look for answers to boost crowds, and support for the scaled-back umpire dissent rule.

The game slumped to a 52-year scoring low in 2019 when teams averaged 80 points a game, prompting the league to introduce the new stand on the mark rule for 2021.

While the rule has been criticised in parts, the league told club chiefs it has helped open the game up and encouraged more fluent ball movement from end to end.

Scoring has gone up from 80.2 points (2019) to 82.5 (2022), stoppages have gone down from 65.8 to 60.1 and ball movement from defensive 50m to attacking 50m has increased from 19 per cent to 21.3 per cent in three years.

And surprisingly 50m penalties have remained the same at 2.2 a match and goals from 50m were stable at .8 per contest from 2018 to 2022, according to Champion Data.

The league is happy with its approach on dissent this year which saw players handed 50m penalties for holding their arms out in frustration or disappointment at a free-kick.

As News Corp revealed in the lead-up to round 12, the tough stance was relaxed mid-season to allow players to show more natural emotion.

The league said the harsh stance on the dissent rule at the start of the season helped make a strong statement about umpire respect, before a welcome recalibration mid-season.

The push for a Tasmanian team has met some resistance in recent weeks as club presidents debate the funding model and broader impacts on the league and the talent pool.

The league is supportive of a team in Tasmania but clubs want more information on allocated money, stadium funding and how the list would be put together after a state league introduction.

Hard-line club presidents’ roadblock on Tassie move

The AFL faces a significant task to change the hard line views of a core group of presidents on a 19th licence after willing and robust talks with the AFL Commission.

The AFL Commission met on Tuesday then went through a list of 15 agenda items with AFL presidents before the Hall of Fame dinner.

But there was strong opposition from a group of presidents led by Gold Coast chairman Tony Cochrane, who made clear his views that the 19th licence was not financially viable.

While details are still scant on the 11 core ‘work streams’ that will make up the Tasmanian bid, many presidents remain far from convinced.

The lack of a stadium deal and concerns over the viability of a likely billion dollar covered-roof Hobart stadium in a city of only 206,000 are at the front of their minds.

AFL presidents Andrew Pridham (Sydney), Jeff Browne (Collingwood), Tony Cochrane (Gold Coast) and Jeff Kennett (Hawthorn) are among the presidents with significant reservations.

“It was a good discussion,” Pridham told the Herald Sun on Tuesday night.

Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett is among those with concerns about the Tasmania deal. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

“The ball is in the AFL’s court to come back with the best proposal (but) the stadium must be part of it.

“I‘m open but sceptical re. the 19th licence. I want to see the deal first.”

The AFL has a massive task to convince those presidents in eight weeks time given so much work must be done by an AFL-Tasmanian government task force.

An AFL spokesman told the Herald Sun the AFL would continue to progress those 11 work streams with the Tasmanian task force and Tasmanian government.

The league updated the presidents on the league’s financial modelling on Tuesday and the likely lift in the current $6.5 million soft cap.

Other likely areas of discussion were concussion funding for players, the TV rights deal, the season structure, crowd numbers through Covid and the floating fixture.

The AFL is hoping for an increased AFL TV rights deal that would not only fund an annual distribution for a Tasmanian side but would fund concussion payouts, the AFL and AFLW pay deals and a new funding model for clubs.

Scott Pendlebury has spoken out about clubs’ struggles with the soft cap. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

AFL captain Scott Pendlebury on Tuesday said clubs were still hampered in their spending on mental health as they battled to fit all of their services under the $6.5 million cap.

But the league is adamant clubs have enough exemptions available under mental health provisions that clubs can spend more on that area than before the pandemic.

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan has flagged making half of a senior coach’s salary exempt from the cap but clubs with modestly-paid coaches have pushed back on that idea.

The league is adamant crowd numbers will spring back in coming seasons as show rates of members gradually improve but admits there is significant discontent about digital ticketing with older fans.

Former Western Bulldogs president Peter Gordon is helping set up a compensation and support fund for players with brain trauma who have fallen through the cracks but it will take a high level of funding.

Players like West Coast’s Daniel Venables and Patrick Bines, who suffered career-ending injuries, have made claims through superannuation or directly to the AFL and the league concedes it will need to fund a more equitable model than currently exists.

Originally published as AFL 2022: Soft cap boost to ease pressure on football departments