The Northern Football League will have among the highest player points and salary caps in AFL Victoria’s community club sustainability program.
The league last week announced its player points cap for 2016 and the proposed salary caps to be introduced 12 months later.
The two-step program aims to level out competitions and reduce spiralling costs.
The player points system is broken into six categories, with each registered player’s points determined by their playing history and achievements.
All three NFL divisions will have a player points cap of 50 per team next season.
This is the highest allowed under AFL Victoria regulations.
In addition, all 2015-registered NFL players who remain at their club next year will receive a one-off, two-point reduction for next season.
The player cap for the NFL is expected to be reduced to 47 in 2017 and 45 in 2018.
The league also released its proposed salary caps for 2017, with the three divisions having different caps.
Division 1 clubs are likely to have a $200,000 salary cap, division 2 clubs a cap of $115,000, while division 3 clubs will have $80,000 as their cap.
NFL chief executive Peter McDougall said clubs supported the program.
“The feedback from NFL clubs has been overwhelmingly positive and supportive, with an acceptance that a program must be implemented to enhance the sustainability of all community football clubs,” McDougall said.
“The 2016 season will be a learning phase for both the league and our clubs. We will all work closely together to ensure implementation of the points system is a success.”
Essendon District Football League will announce details of its players’ points cap this week.
The league was considering a cap of 55 points, but EDFL general manager Marc Turri said it would now be hard to go above the maximum 50.
Metropolitan leagues and region commissions will need to apply to an AFL Victoria sub-committee should any of their affiliated clubs require more than 50 total team points.
“It’s going to be hard to have extra points above that,” Turri said.
“There’s the level we want the cap at and the level they want it at. We will sit down and work on it,” he said.
