VAFA: Employment opportunities driving string of high-profile recruits
Western Bulldogs premiership player Tom Boyd’s move from Norwood to St Kevin’s has flamed debate of the ‘Amateur’ status of the VAFA.
Local Sport
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Forget match payments. They’re strictly disallowed in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA).
It’s “jobs for the boys’’ that are driving a string of high-profile recruits to the competition.
Western Bulldogs premiership big man Tom Boyd is the latest former AFL player to join the amateurs, crossing from Eastern club Norwood to VAFA Premier power St Kevin’s.
Returning to Norwood this year was an amazing experience and I can’t thank the club enough for having me.
— Tom Boyd (@Tom_Boyd17) November 12, 2019
However, after much deliberation, I’ve decided that I’ll be playing at St Kevin’s in 2020 and am extremely excited for Anna and I be joining the SKOB community going forward
The Blacks are delighted to welcome former Richmond and Essendon player Matt Dea to the club! 🙌 @VAFA_HQ
— University Blacks FC (@UniBlacksFC) November 13, 2019
📰: https://t.co/CXFbLV9F79 pic.twitter.com/P6rbYSxTW5
St Kevin’s also secured former Carlton and North Melbourne forward Jarrad Waite this year.
But it lost the grand final to a University Blues team featuring nine ex-AFL players: Josh Green, Cameron O’Shea, Ayce Cordy, Luke Russell, Ross Young, Tom Young, Kieran Harper, Jeremy Taylor and Piers Flanagan.
Uni Blacks also announced on Wednesday night that former Richmond and Essendon defender Matt Dea had joined the club.
Boyd’s move has generated much discussion about the VAFA’s amateur ethos.
But president George Voyage and CEO Brett Connell welcomed his arrival, saying clubs were using their networks to find employment for players and it was lifting the standard of amateur football.
“It’s great for our comp, pretty clearly,’’ Connell said on SEN on Wednesday.
“There’s always a myth around amateur footy … if you’re not involved in any of the clubs, you probably struggle to understand how people just play for the love of the game and that’s how we all started.
“The Development League demise in Victoria probably saw across the community a lot of players become available to community competitions, and the amateurs were a point destination, particularly around your career going forward.
“We’ve had some examples in recent times where players have joined directly from the AFL looking to further their careers off the field, which the amateur network has been able to provide.’’
But the influx of former AFL player into the VAFA has left rival club administrators miffed.
Rowville president Paul Mynott tweeted: “It’s actually quite embarrassing for the VAFA competition to be honest.
“They bang on about the integrity of their competition. Good luck to them as they don’t have a salary cap. They can recruit as many as they like I suppose. But please change the ‘Amateur’ status for us all.”
Balwyn forward Charlie Haley said on social media the VAFA was becoming the premier destination for former AFL players.
The salary cap in the EFL’s top tier will be reduced from $215,000 to $200,000 for next season, which will be in line with other suburban competitions.
Haley was also a former player at De La Salle.
“EFL have a salary cap and points so now all big names go to VAFA clubs because they then get paid big coin in other ways,” Haley said.
“This is happening as EFL Premier (Division) salary cap drops.”
Connell said the VAFA’s independent integrity division oversaw the movement of AFL players into the competition, and players were required to meet the permit committee.
He said they were asked about their links to the club and told of the amateur ethos that there should be no inducements to play, “while they’re playing and post, and they’re all market rates that people are … joining those clubs and taking those careers’’.
Where it once had been difficult for former league players to join the VAFA, Connell said officials “opened up’’ reinstatement guidelines about 10 years ago.
“So basically you play now as an amateur. If you’re not receiving any gain to play footy, you’re welcome to play in our competition,’’ he said.
Connell said of Boyd: “He would go through the normal process as any other player would. The permit committee will meet and greet, have a chat, talk to him about amateur footy, what his connection is back through the club so he understands our ethos and the integrity of our competition. And we welcome him with open arms…’’
Voyage told Leader the VAFA “offers more than just football, it offers tight-knit camaraderie, it offers opportunities for elite players to come in and build a career outside of football, it offers an environment where they know they will be protected, our alcohol policy, there’s no betting, our umpires are in charge of the game’’.
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“We want the best players to be playing with us, within our rules and guidelines and amateur status,’’ he said.
Voyage said he was pleased Boyd was joining St Kevin’s, “a great club where he will receive a caring environment’’.
Like other local competitions, the VAFA has a player-points cap (45 for Premier teams), with players ranked from six to one based on their experience.
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