NFL 2018: Northern Football League salary caps set for next season with Division 1 clubs to have $215,000 limit
MOST Northern Football League clubs are spending much less than the salary cap as metropolitan competitions move closer to a uniform Division 1 limit of $200,000.
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MOST Northern Football League clubs are spending much less than the salary cap as metropolitan competitions move closer to a uniform Division 1 limit of $200,000.
NFL boss Peter McDougall said most teams were “well down on the cap” this season as the league prepares to drop the limit from $225,000 to $215,000 for Division 1 sides in 2019.
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The Division 2 cap will fall from $150,000 to $135,000 and Division 3 clubs will have $90,000 to spend next year, compared to $100,000 this season.
“General comments from clubs are they would like to see the cap come down further,” McDougall said.
“We will keep working with that. Our intention, as we have said to the clubs, from day one, is we do want to get the caps down to what is considered a fair and reasonable amount.
“(We are) conscious of the impact the salary caps have on club volunteers, trying to raise those funds to meet the cap or spend on player payments.
“The sooner we can get it to a reasonable number, the better for everybody, particularly club volunteers who have to raise the money.”
No NFL club has breached the salary cap since it was first enforced last year.
McDougall said the Division 2 and Division 3 spending limits were set yearly, while the Division 1 cap would be wound back to $200,000 by 2020.
“As we gradually wind it down, (we are) keeping an eye on what neighbouring leagues might be doing for those lower divisions as well,” he said.
He said the NFL had originally proposed a $200,000 cap for its top tier due to the average spending of clubs being about $196,000.
But that figure was lifted due to the disparity between the NFL and Essendon District league, which has a $250,000 limit in Premier Division.
“There would be some clubs that are spending close to 100 per cent of the cap but a lot of them are well down on the cap, which tells us clubs are not really wanting to spend the full cap,” he said.
The NFL points cap will also be wound back from 47 to 46 in each division.
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