EDFL: Premier Division salary cap reduced by $20,000 for 2020
The EDFL has revealed its salary cap and points limits for 2020, with one move receiving opposition from clubs.
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The Essendon District Football League’s decision to reduce the salary cap for its elite clubs by $20,000 next season was met with resistance by club presidents.
Premier Division sides – in line with a long-standing commitment between suburban leagues and AFL Victoria – will have a player payments limit of $200,000 next year.
The move means the EDFL has slashed $50,000 from its cap for top-flight clubs – once the highest in the state – since the start of the 2018 season.
EDFL boss Craig Armstead confirmed most clubs were in favour of a freeze on the cap for 2020.
Premier Division teams will have $11,111 to spend on players per week across an 18-round season — the equivalent of $505 per player in the senior line-up.
“Certainly they raised the issue,” Armstead said of clubs’ opposition to the reduction.
“While we’ve ended up at $200,000, which we’ve communicated our intention was for a number of years, the board met with the Premier Division presidents and they came in and had discussions.
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“The majority of them were pushing to hold it at $220,000.
“We went out on the back of that and did a survey with all the clubs, so there was a consultation around it with all the clubs, and that was all taken on board.”
Armstead said the salary caps across all three divisions were likely to be retained in 2021.
Division 1 clubs will have $175,000 to spend next season ($15,000 less than this year) and Division 2 sides $140,000 ($5,000 less).
“We’ve committed internally to doing a review of the cap and the points and what impact they’ve had,” Armstead said.
“We certainly want to see that data before we move anywhere moving forward.
“Our board’s given an indication to clubs that in 2021 … we intend it to be the same salary caps as 2020.”
All clubs will again have a player points ceiling of 47 next season.
The salary cap was implemented in 2017 in community competitions to complement the player points system under AFL Victoria’s Club Sustainability Program.
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