Assistant coaches to be told within weeks of job cuts with football department spending to be slashed by about $4 million

Within weeks AFL clubs will begin telling some of their most respected voices that there is no role for them next year, with the AFL soft cap set to hit hard and club bosses dreading the tough calls they will have to make.

AFL clubs will within weeks begin the horror task of informing assistant coaches there is no future role for them at the club next year.

Club bosses are dreading the inevitable decisions that will come when the AFL finalises the 2021 soft cap, aware they will need to purge dozens of coaching roles across the competition.

Some clubs with coaches already stood down are preparing to alert coaches of their futures by the end of the month.

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The usual date is August 1 under an AFL Coaches Association agreement to allow unwanted coaches maximum notice to get another industry job or find time for alternate employment.

But with some coaches only on JobKeeper payments until the end of September, clubs will want to give them three months of notice, which would be the end of June.

North Melbourne assistant coach Brendan Whitecross handballs with Ben Brown.

AFL Coaches Association boss Mark Brayshaw told the Herald Sun the August 1 deadline might be “fluid” this year given so much uncertainty.

But with the AFL indicating to clubs this week the soft cap would be handed down within the month, clubs will tell assistants about their futures as soon as it is decided.

“The footy managers are waiting patiently for the soft cap number and then that will form their headcount for next year and fast-track those decisions,” Brayshaw said.

Collingwood VFL coach Garry Hocking at a training session last year with Tyson Goldsack.

“As soon as soft cap numbers are determined we will be having those discussions with our members through their clubs. The August 1 deadline is certainly fluid.”

Clubs hope they might retain lists close to 40 but are bracing for a football department cap of around $6 million, down from $9.7 million.

It means clubs with as many as nine assistant coaches might have to reduce that number to five, with estimates 50-70 assistant coaches could be out of work.

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North Melbourne’s Jared Rivers and Brendan Whitecross and Sydney’s Tadhg Kennelly are among those coaches who remain stood down despite football department limits rising from 25 to 30 in recent weeks.

North Melbourne has enough coaches inside its list of 25 match-day staff to cover for Rivers and Whitecross, and will not make a decision on an extra five staff until it becomes clear if it needs more coaching, medical or other performance staff.

Tadhg Kennelly has been stood down by Sydney due to staff cuts at clubs.

Sydney has also stood down a handful of other coaching staff as well as former captain Stuart Maxfield, who works as an opposition scout.

Collingwood’s VFL coach Garry Hocking was another high-profile assistant coach stood down by the Pies given that competition will not go ahead for AFL clubs with VFL teams.

But the Pies had already gone in the direction of reducing the amount of full-time senior assistants so might have to cut fewer staff than rival clubs.

Originally published as Assistant coaches to be told within weeks of job cuts with football department spending to be slashed by about $4 million