A win for the clubs: AFL increases cap on footy department spending

The AFL will increase the soft cap on football department spending by $500,000, leaving it up to the clubs on whether they spend the extra money on senior coaches or other staff.

AFL boss Gillon McLachlan told the 18 clubs on Wednesday that the soft cap - which was slashed during 2020 from $9.7 million to $6.2m and is about $6.5m this year - will be bolstered by a further $500,000 in 2023. This does not count the further $670,000 that clubs can pay outside the cap in exemptions this year.

All told, clubs will be able to spend more than $7.6m when the exemptions - which are largely for health-related spending on players - are included, as the game’s parlous finances slowly recover.

McLachlan and the league, however, have opted not to have a payment for senior coaches outside the soft cap, even though this was McLachlan’s own preference. McLachlan had been unable to persuade the majority of club presidents to have the exemption for the senior coaches, sources said.

Clubs have been pushing for an increase in the football department cap on the grounds that coaches and other staff have been over-worked. The senior coaches are aggrieved that their stress and workload have increased during the post-pandemic period, but their wages - and capacity to hire assistant coaches in support - have remained suppressed.

The meeting of CEOs also had a lengthy discussion on the potential entrance of a Tasmanian team to the competition. McLachlan told the meeting that the Tasmanian licence would be supported “if the deal is right for footy” and only on that condition.

There was a range of views on the Tassie team expressed at Tuesday’s meeting of the club presidents, some of whom oppose the entrance of a 19th team to the competition, while others are more supportive. McLachlan has said that the Tasmanian team will need overwhelming support from clubs - a clear majority - to enter the competition, which is not what the AFL’s rules dictate.

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