Northern Football League will introduce a top-five in Division 2 in 2020
The Northern Football League’s expanded Division 2 will see an expanded finals series in 2020, adding intrigue to the finals race, while the competition’s salary cap and player points have also been confirmed.
Local Footy
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local Footy. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The Northern Football League will expand its Division 2 finals series in 2020, adding increased intrigue to the race for finals spots.
As Division 2 moves to a 10-team competition next season, a top five will be introduced, matching the Division 1 finals structure.
Not since the introduction of Division 3 in 2009 has the second tier had more than four teams contest finals.
GUN: MONTMORENCY LANDS FORMER AFL STAR
LEADER: GET YOUR NORTHERN FOOTY NEWS HERE
STAR: WILL MEESE RETURN TO BACK-TO-BACK PREMIER?
The decision will likely be celebrated by Diamond Creek, which has finished fifth in each of the past two seasons – by percentage in 2018 and half a game this year.
NFL chief executive Peter McDougall said an expanded finals series was beneficial for the competition.
“As a rule of thumb, it’s a good model that 50 per cent of your teams have the opportunity to play finals,” McDougall said.
“Division 2 hasn’t been at 10 teams for quite some time and with that comes the opportunity for an extra team of play finals.
“Any model that allows for more teams to participate in finals is a good outcome for everybody.”
The changes will not impact the NFL’s staggered finals structure, with each division’s grand final to be played on consecutive weekends.
McDougall also confirmed the NFL’s salary cap and player points for 2020, with the limit slashed across the competition but player points increased.
The salary cap in Division 1 will decrease from $215,000 to $200,000, while Division 2 will drop from $135,000 to $130,000 and Division 3 from $90,000 to $80,000.
However, there is good news for some clubs with the player points increasing from 46 to 47.
“We agree as a principal – and we’ve talked to our clubs – our aim is to drive (the salary cap) down,” McDougall said.
“We have clubs from all divisions saying that it’s a good thing that it keeps going down.
“It’s all about sustainability at the end of the day and it’s a tough job running a football club, so if we can take a bit of pressure off volunteers needing to raise that amount of money, it can only be a good thing.”
For all the latest news from the Northern Football League and other suburban competitions over the off-season, log on to localfooty.com.au