Reduced salary caps: The positives and negatives
Player payments in local footy continue to be a contentious issue, with an Eastern league coach questioning why the same salary cap has been set for different leagues, while other officials have their say.
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Noble Park coach Steve Hughes has questioned why AFL Victoria has set a $100,000 salary cap ceiling across the board for community leagues next season.
He says it doesn’t make sense that players in lower leagues will be on the same pay scale as those in stronger leagues.
Eastern FNL’s Premier competition, in which Noble Park plays, has had its salary cap cut in half from $200,000 to $100,000.
Neighbouring Southern FNL’s Division 1 has dropped from $150,000 to $100,000, while Mornington Peninsula’s Division 1 competition has gone from $140,000 to $100,000.
“I mean, why do we need to equalise everything?” Hughes said.
“With all due respect, not every club is the same.
“We have financially stable, successful footy clubs, like the club I’m at at the moment, and we’ve now got to have discussions with players about a fifty percent pay cut.
“All of these high level, very good footballers have now got to be paid the same as someone who is third or fourth tier down. And that’s a frustration for us.”
Hughes said Noble Park champion Kyle Martin was a prime example.
He has won the past five Bulls best and fairests and is widely regarded as the best player in suburban football.
“He’s a different player to players at other levels but he’s got to come down,’’ Hughes said.
“I just think very good footballers should be rewarded accordingly.”
Tooradin-Dalmore coach Lachlan Gillespie said the reduction in salary cap limits was a good chance for leagues to hit the “reset button’’.
“Players pays were getting out of control, people getting paid huge amounts of money,’’ Gillespie said.
“Now maybe that presses the reset button and we get back to playing for the right reasons.’’
Seaford football manager Paul Kennedy said slashing salary caps was “one of the best things to happen to local footy’’.
“In the last 10-15 years players have been changing (clubs) left, right and centre and driving their prices up,’’ he said.
“So to have that lower salary cap because of COVID, that’s going to be one of the best things to happen to local footy, because the players can take back power on what’s a reasonable match payment.
“Players who want to leave clubs can hold you over a barrel, they ask for 500 and 600 bucks and they are average players who should be on 50 bucks a game, but you have other clubs who are trying to poach them. So hopefully all that rubbish subsides.’’
Kennedy said elite players deserved to be well paid.
“It’s not the top guys, like, if you get a guy like Aaron Edwards to come down and you are paying him top dollar, well, I haven’t got a problem with that because he’s going to bring the crowds in and people love to watch full forwards kick goals,’’ he said.
“It’s the guys who are barely senior players that jump between clubs and all of a sudden they’re on 250, 300, and they’re just not worth it. That’s a hard earned sponsor money and gate money.
“It’s not like you are being paid by some rich people, it’s abysmal what they’ve done.’’
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