Two OEFN clubs guilty of salary cap breaches

Stern penalties have been handed to two Outer East league clubs after an investigation uncovered salary cap breaches.

Emerald won the 2023 Division 1 grand final.

AFL Victoria has come down hard on two Outer East Football Netball clubs found to have breached the salary cap in 2023.

Alexandra and Emerald were handed penalties at a disciplinary hearing on Monday night.

Division 2 runners-up Alexandra was found to be in breach of rule 2 a i and fined $40,000, of which $15,000 is suspended for three years, pending continuing compliance with the rules, but payable in the event of any further breach during that time.

Alexandra was also slapped with the loss of four premiership points for the 2024 season.

Emerald, which won the Division 1 premiership, was fined $8,000 for breaching rule 2 a i.

Both clubs were also reprimanded for being in breach of rule 4 b ii.

Alexandra players in action from 2023.

Alexandra secretary Kylie Cairns said her club was penalised for an “innocent oversight’’.

“There is no suggestion by the League or the AFL Integrity Officer that the club has done anything untoward however we have been fined for an administration oversight,’’ a statement from Cairns read.

“We believe the penalty imposed to be excessive and has had a significant impact on our club volunteers.

“We take compliance with all league rules and regulations very seriously and have always operated within the prescribed limits. As the club has received no formal guidance or training in relation to the submission of the salary cap it has led us to this innocent oversight. Moving forward, we will be seeking support from the Outer East League to address this situation.’’

In a statement, Emerald said: “This has highlighted a shortcoming in our training and understanding of the ever-increasing complexities for volunteers running senior clubs. Emerald Football Netball Club would like to send a heartfelt thanks to our volunteers who work tirelessly to run the club, and in association with Outer East Football Netball, are committed to supporting all club volunteers in administering the CCSP in future so potential breaches are identified early and addressed.’’

The penalties follow a salary cap review — called the Community Club Sustainability Program (CCSP) — by AFL Victoria which audited all 2023 grand finalists across.

The reviews were carried out in three stages by AFL Victoria integrity officers following the 2023 finals series.

Each of the six clubs were required to provide additional information following stage 1 of the integrity reviews. At the completion of stage 2 with further information being submitted, four were found to have satisfied the CCSP criteria, with two clubs — Alexandra FNC and Emerald FNC — required to enter stage 3.

In a statement, Outer East Football Netball said it was “committed to supporting all club volunteers in administering the CCSP, so potential breaches are identified early and addressed accordingly before any audit takes place, it is our role to support and assist clubs.’’

Last week, Sunraysia Football League runner-up Robinvale-Euston was slapped with an initial $11,500 fine for breaches of salary cap rules last year.