EDFL 2020: Keilor president Craig Hill addresses financial hit, salary cap
The president of one of the leading clubs in the Essendon District Football League discusses the financial pain associated with a cancelled season and gives his verdict on salary cap cuts.
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Essendon District Football League powerhouse Keilor is in good shape to rebound from the coronavirus crisis, says president Craig Hill.
As local clubs tackle a collapse in sponsorship and the fact they will be unable to raise funds through club events in 2020, attention has turned to safeguarding their futures.
The EDFL has called off its senior season but is yet to rule a line through its junior and under-18.5s campaigns despite several clubs pulling the pin.
“From a football club perspective, we’re in a good financial position, so we’re not carrying any expense from 2019 to 2020,” Hill said.
“We’re in a good position to deal with any possible loss that comes with no senior revenue.
“If the junior space doesn’t get up as well, that will equally hurt because we’ll be in a position where we will refund all that money to the members who have paid.
“I expect most clubs will face some form of financial challenge and we’ll just be trying to ideally break even from last year to this year.
“Luckily, we don’t have the worry of carrying (debt) into 2021 because our past models have kept us financially sound.”
AFL Victoria is also preparing to slash salary caps for the next three years.
Clubs in top-flight suburban competitions are set to have a player payments limit of $100,000 from next year in a significant change for local football.
EDFL Premier Division clubs had $250,000 to spend on players in 2018 but they face a salary cap squeeze as they look to keep their senior lists intact.
The EDFL’s payments ceiling was $220,000 in 2019 and was set to be $200,000 this year before the health crisis hit.
“We’ve been an advocate for as high as possible salary cap as there could be,” Hill said.
“When it dropped to 200k, we did what we had to do to make that work. If it drops to 150k or 100k, we’ll do the same.
“It’s certainly going to favour the football clubs and be a disadvantage to the playing group. Whether that’s right or wrong, everyone will have their own opinion.
“But I don’t know how you come up with the right figure.
“It’ll certainly mean players will want to be at a club because that financial amount is not going to be there that has been to move around. The relationships the players have with their clubs is going to be crucial when we look at the reductions that will be there.”
The Mick McGuane-coached Blues have shifted their focus to retaining their talented playing list for next season after their shot at back-to-back flags was taken away.
An EDFL season appeared likely three weeks ago before rising coronavirus cases forced the campaign to be canned.
“It’s disappointing not having football, full stop,” Hill said.
“We naturally understand the reasons, but I think we’re all disappointed there won’t be any senior football.
“The club and the playing group will be as eager as they were going to be this year to defend 2019 when we’re allowed to start preparing for next year.”
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