Amnesty

[Max Leader]

New Amateur Status Rules & Policy
Over the past year, the VAFA Board undertook a review of its rules and procedures relating to the enforcement of amateur status of its players.
This review led to the following:
1. The declaration of an Amnesty period (effective immediately) to close midnight on 30 June 2011, within which time various persons set out in the Amnesty Policy can come forward to the VAFA Integrity Officer and report any breach or possible breach of the conditions of amateur status that may have occurred in seasons 2008, 2009 and 2010 or since.
A copy of the Amnesty Policy and to whom who it applies is contained under Information for Clubs/Amateur Status 2011; (click here). We strongly encourage clubs to read the Amnesty Policy very carefully and consider how it might apply to them.
2. Establishment of an Independent Integrity Division to hear all matters relating to alleged breaches of the rules relating to Amateur Status.
As with the Independent Tribunal, the Independent Integrity Division will be separate from the VAFA Board.
A copy of the VAFA Rules which sets up the Independent Integrity Division is contained under Information for Clubs/Amateur Status 2011; (click here).
3. The appointment of an Integrity Officer, who will investigate allegations of a breach of Amateur Status, and if appropriate, refer an investigated matter to a formal hearing of the Independent Integrity Division.
The VAFA is pleased to announce that Steve Palmer has been appointed as the Integrity Officer for 2011. Steve is a qualified solicitor and an experienced investigator.
What does this mean for clubs?
Under the Amnesty Policy, clubs should contact the Integrity Officer, Steve Palmer, if they believe that their club may have been involved in player payments from the 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons or since.
The Amnesty Period will enable clubs to ‘come clean’ to the VAFA. Please note that the purpose of the Amnesty Policy is to focus only on the conduct of clubs from the 2008 season onwards, the rationale being that current club administrators should be aware of matters relating to recent seasons.
Please note that all contact with the Integrity Officer will be treated in the strictest of confidence. Further, any invoking of the Amnesty by a club will be treated confidentially.
Again, we strongly encourage clubs to read the Amnesty Policy very carefully and consider how it might apply to them.
Effective immediately, clubs or anyone involved with the VAFA, may contact the Integrity Officer to ask that he look into allegations of player payments.
The Integrity Officer will then investigate these as he sees fit. While the focus of the Integrity Officer will be on issues pertaining to 2011, persons should feel free to contact the Integrity Officer to raise allegations relating to conduct from the 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons


From the VAFA website.

Pardon me WTF.

I thought everyone was playing for the love of the game.

What is the basis of this new requirement. Who has been caught cheating.

The suspicion will go on a few clubs with ties at EP!

Max "piss off" Out

 

[bigwaz]

It's a curious development...

In short, if you have cheated, dob yourself in and no one will ever know except the top brass.

 

[Max Leader]

It's a curious development...

In short, if you have cheated, dob yourself in and no one will ever know except the top brass.

Should make the names public. But they wont.

 

[on the trott]

Should make the names public. But they wont.

I was reading this yesterday and was somewhat miffed! Does this mean if you dob yourself in for "paying players" then you get a slap on the wrist?!? What happens if during that time you won a premiership?

Sholly and his posse are possibly the biggest knobs going around!

 

[Rooster 24]

Ridiculous. If you have cheated then your club and the perpetrators of that deception should be named and shamed. If you have won a flag in that time it should be stripped.

At best if you throw yourself on the wire you can maybe avoid demotion but every other sanction, including significant fines, should be applied.

Does the VAFA brass perhaps know something the rest of us don’t?

 

[MurphysLaw]

Ridiculous. If you have cheated then your club and the perpetrators of that deception should be named and shamed. If you have won a flag in that time it should be stripped.

At best if you throw yourself on the wire you can maybe avoid demotion but every other sanction, including significant fines, should be applied.

Does the VAFA brass perhaps know something the rest of us don’t?

clearly they do

 

[Ruck Machine]

Ridiculous. If you have cheated then your club and the perpetrators of that deception should be named and shamed. If you have won a flag in that time it should be stripped.

At best if you throw yourself on the wire you can maybe avoid demotion but every other sanction, including significant fines, should be applied.

Does the VAFA brass perhaps know something the rest of us don’t?

Sounds like an escape clause for A Grade teams to me.

 

[Rooster 24]

Sounds like an escape clause for A Grade teams to me.

Well not this A grade team. We have never payed players and find this amnesty ridiculous. As per my previous post those found guilty should be shown no mercy.

The last club caught cheating was from a D1 was it not?

 

[Cardio Carl]

My early thoughts:

The amount of rumor and innuendo posted on Big Footy over the last 2-3 years in regards to this no wonder they wish to eradicate any concerns.

I think there will be a few nervous clubs however i think the league needs to scope out exactly what the clubs should be reporting and or if it falls outside the rules e.g.

> a club pays for a guys drinks at the club
> a club supporter pays for a players membership or a sponsor provides goods & services in kind to a player.

Under the amnesty I doubt any retrospective penalties will apply e.g. removal of premierships - however it will be keen to see some clubs fall 'out of the sky' if they have been doing the wrong things.

Also, very good call by the VAFA as any clubs coming through explaining how they may have bent the rules will provide Steve with a list of ploys employed - the precedents will be in place.

Issue for clubs holding back is that they need to ensure they do not have a list of enemies or people they have treated poorly, as I think this could be seen as a revengeful way to get back at the clubs. Clubs need to decide, do we come forward or risk massive penalties is someone comes forward after the amnesty. i know what I would be doing.
Interesting times

 

[Scribe]

Read this before I am red carded and the post is gone:
Teams implicated for paying cash from a VERY knowledgable source INSIDE HQ: Old Camberwell, Old Xaverians, Old Melburnians, Old Haileybury, St Bedes, Old Scotch, University Blacks, Beaumaris, Ajax, Prahran, Bentleigh(asked to leave).
Its rife so this is their response. Mine is to send them all to D4.

As if there'd be anyone of the 5 people who actually run HQ who'd be silly enough to disclose such a list of clubs to a nuffy who would post them anonymously on BF.

Give us a spell!

 

[Fish 20]

Sounds like an escape clause for A Grade teams to me.

This ^^^^^

 

[MurphysLaw]

As if there'd be anyone of the 5 people who actually run HQ who'd be silly enough to disclose such a list of clubs to a nuffy who would post them anonymously on BF.

Give us a spell!

im still trying to figure out who pump and dump was in a former life on BF

is this whole thing a case of if there is smoke there is usually fire, and therefore we should create some sort of CFA/MFB before the fires really start getting out of control?

The whole amnesty thing just does not sit well

 

[BrianSpeaking]

I got a PM from him( Pump and Dump) with the same tripe, as I said in another post, he's a troll.

In regards to the Amnesty, it's come out of left field and what does it really achieve? I'm all for the honesty and integrity, but Im not sure what living in the past will achieve.

 

[MurphysLaw]

I got a PM from him( Pump and Dump) with the same tripe, as I said in another post, he's a troll.

In regards to the Amnesty, it's come out of left field and what does it really achieve? I'm all for the honesty and integrity, but Im not sure what living in the past will achieve.

PENALTIES FOR BREACH OF AMATEUR STATUS​

130. If a Club or player is found by the Independent Integrity Division (or by the
Board following an appeal to it from a decision of the Independent Integrity
Division) to have breached the conditions relating to Amateur Status, the
penalty to be imposed shall be determined by the Board. Such penalty may
comprise any or all of the following:-
(a) In relation to a club-
(i) Loss of premiership points earned in the games played while the Club
was so in breach;
(ii) Demotion of the Club up to two sections;
(iii) Loss of premiership points for the following season;
(iv) A fine not exceeding $5,000; or
(v) Suspension from any or all First Round or Second Round matches in
a season or seasons.
(b) In relation to a player, suspension for such period as the Board deem
appropriate.
Provided that, if a club or player voluntarily admits prior to 1 July 2011 that it
or he has breached such conditions, the Board may, in its discretion,​

determine that no penalty be imposed.”

ok bit of help here for the non victorian bar association certified among us...

does this mean that the people/players/club that come forward in this amnesty are entitled amnesty from penalties "if the board, in its discretion" determines?

and if so, isnt the whole thing pointless? who would come forward on the proviso of amnesty unless it is 100% guaranteed?

 

[Cardio Carl]

I think the cause of the 'Brown Pants' syndrome comes from the fact that VAFA have decided to employ/invest club $$$ into a full-time professional investigator to look uncover any issues.

He obviously has KPI's and will not be sitting on his hands taking the $$ - I think he maybe working his butt off asap to justify his existence.

 

[Down At Gillon]

I wonder if this amnesty extends to things like a new van and electrical equipment gifted to a favourite son of a club opposite Trinity to get him back from Blackburn for the 2010 season ?

 

[Phantom Strobler]

This ^^^^^

Hey fisk is pump and dump correct, Bentleigh was asked to leave by the VAFA?

 

[Phantom Strobler]

As if there'd be anyone of the 5 people who actually run HQ who'd be silly enough to disclose such a list of clubs to a nuffy who would post them anonymously on BF.

Give us a spell!

Those clubs mentioned by P and D should form D5

 

[BrianSpeaking]

I wouldn't be surprised if one particular club mentioned was involved, their former President (who was VP at the time and later President) offered cash to one of our ex players at a pub to 'bet on a horse' and he took it, surprise surprise he ended up playing there.
The VAFA at the time were informed but did SFA about it.

 

[BrianSpeaking]

I wonder if this amnesty extends to things like a new van and electrical equipment gifted to a favourite son of a club opposite Trinity to get him back from Blackburn for the 2010 season ?

Care to name him?

 

[Half Back Pocket]

I wonder if this amnesty extends to things like a new van and electrical equipment gifted to a favourite son of a club opposite Trinity to get him back from Blackburn for the 2010 season ?

Opposite Trinity?....The Veneto Club? Do they even play in the Ammo's?

Oh wait...you mean opposite Marcellin?

CC - I have heard with my own little ears that the Head Honchos (Honcho!) at HQ know a certain amount about 3 of the clubs mentioned by P & D.
Knowing and proving are vastly different things i'd imagine. Would you give evidence against an official from "XYZ" FC who offered you $150 a game one night at the local pub? It would come down to one persons word against anothers, and be extremely hard to prove.

 

[Half Back Pocket]

Those clubs mentioned by P and D should form D5

....technically, it would be D4 (10 down, 10 up).

Prahran would get slaughtered in this grade!

 

[majicjman]

It has been going on for years in the upper grades it is as simple as sponcer or clubbie says i bet you $ that you can not jump across this line and what do you the player manages to jump across the line and win the bet he is not payed for playing as such but he wins the same amount on a simple bet each week

 

[Fish 20]

Hey fisk is pump and dump correct, Bentleigh was asked to leave by the VAFA?

No. Us leaving was all our doing, the VAFA considered us a "required club" for 2011 even though they knew we were leaving.

I can't believe you still think we paid players, I'd like to know who?

Oh & by the way Justin Mills says hi

 

[Cardio Carl]

Opposite Trinity?....The Veneto Club? Do they even play in the Ammo's?

Oh wait...you mean opposite Marcellin?

CC - I have heard with my own little ears that the Head Honchos (Honcho!) at HQ know a certain amount about 3 of the clubs mentioned by P & D.
Knowing and proving are vastly different things i'd imagine. Would you give evidence against an official from "XYZ" FC who offered you $150 a game one night at the local pub? It would come down to one persons word against anothers, and be extremely hard to prove.

HB: these little babies would come in handy I'm sure.

Statutory declarations

A statutory declaration is a written statement declared to be true in the presence of an authorised witness. A person wishing to use a statutory declaration in connection with a law of the Commonwealth, the Australian Capital Territory or certain other Territories must make the declaration in accordance with the Statutory Declarations Act 1959 (the Act) and the

Statutory Declarations Regulations 1993 (the Regulations).

Under the Act a person who wilfully makes a false statement in a statutory declaration is guilty of an offence and may be fined or jailed, or both.

The Act provides that a statutory declaration must be in the prescribed form and must be made before a prescribed witness. The form for making a statutory declaration and the persons who can witness a statutory declaration are prescribed under the Regulations. The form and a list of persons before whom a statutory declaration may be witnessed can be accessed using the links to the right of this page.



I would say the PI would be running off a few copies as we type.

For those of you who have been around, I have always advocated the use SD's either for all presidents or players of A-B clubs prior to the commencement of the season. If HQ had listen we wouldn't be where we are now and paying big bucks to a PI, but they have never listened to any of my ideas in the past.