Outer East: Clubs to receive significant financial relief

AFL Outer East clubs are set to save thousands of dollars next season following significant financial relief from the league.

AFL Outer East (Premier) Grand Final: Berwick v Narre Warren. Narre Warren celebrating win. Picture: Josie Hayden

AFL Outer East clubs are set to receive significant financial relief next season following no football or netball played in 2020.

Clubs are in line to receive assistance from the league in a post-COVID recovery effort following AFL Victoria funding with football playing registration fees waived, resulting in a collective saving of more than $280,000 to participants.

Senior registration fees had previously been $21 per player while juniors stood at $12. Netball fees will be slashed by around 25 per cent, resulting in a cost of $15 for seniors and $10 for juniors for season 2021.

Woori Yallock and Narre Warren clash in the 2019 netball finals. Picture: Stuart Milligan

The move is slated to provide savings of between $5000 and $7500 for senior clubs depending on their total teams and $1500 to $2000 for junior and stand-alone netball clubs.

AFL Outer East general manager Aaron Bailey said accessibility to both football and netball remained the league’s top priority following the COVID crisis.

“Coming out of COVID, we wanted to make it accessible and we thought the best way to do that is to pass on savings to clubs to make it easier to come back,” he said.

“After what has been the most challenging year seen in community football, we are thrilled that we are able to provide significant support to our clubs and ease the financial burden next year.

“We can now move towards 2021 with excitement and anticipation about returning to competition in football and netball.”

Bailey said the league had been able to use the COVID shutdown period to re-jig and expand its media operations while also remove debt, improve its financial position and increase its assets.

“We actually had a really good year financially,” he said.

“As bad and as difficult a year as it’s been, we enter 2021 in a much stronger position than we were for 2020. It could have been a disaster but it’s been a blessing.”