EDFL Premier Discussion 2025

[bangfrom50]

In amongst all this salary cap breach hoo ha is a deeper issue in my opinion. If the salary cap is not consistently breached then leagues such as EDFL will have a limited life left in business. 130k split over 18 rounds equals $7,200 per round. 22 players per round equals an average of $328 per player. There is absolutely no way young fit men will continue to train and play football in front of a handful of people each week for this sort of money. If the salary cap is enforced across the board make no mistake the EDFL and all metro footy leagues have a maximum of 7 years to run before there will not be enough players to field any teams including 1's. Sure some players will get 1k a game but I can assure you no players will play for 0 so something will give long term.
Personally I think the 130k salary cap is a joke in todays age. The cap should be more like 400k and if your club cannot fund it then shut the doors.

I understand your points LB and they have some validity, but they are naive and close-minded considering DP are funded by the Deer Park Club to the tune upwards of $300k a year, it's easy for you, or someone from Keilor(funded by huge Junior Fees) to have this opinion but it's not Reality for the rest of the comp(maybe Abers and Pacco with their big backers)... Local Footy is not the old suburban footy we all grew up with and played/supported with pride of the suburb you grew up in, grew up with team mates and ran out together with a sense of belonging.
Local Footy is dominated now more than ever by clubs in a strong financial position(EFL, NFL, EDFL, RDNFL, SFNL). Time to merge all leagues together and play clubs in grades that fit their performance and financial positions, regardless of their location..

 

[thebluesmurf]

I understand your points LB and they have some validity, but they are naive and close-minded considering DP are funded by the Deer Park Club to the tune upwards of $300k a year, it's easy for you, or someone from Keilor(funded by huge Junior Fees) to have this opinion but it's not Reality for the rest of the comp(maybe Abers and Pacco with their big backers)... Local Footy is not the old suburban footy we all grew up with and played/supported with pride of the suburb you grew up in, grew up with team mates and ran out together with a sense of belonging.
Local Footy is dominated now more than ever by clubs in a strong financial position(EFL, NFL, EDFL, RDNFL, SFNL). Time to merge all leagues together and play clubs in grades that fit their performance and financial positions, regardless of their location..

Probably the most logical and well written post I’ve ever seen on here..

 

[past panther]

Not true, our club DOES NOT cheat the cap. We are so against cheating and won't have a bar of it. One of the reasons its difficult to rise up the ladder.

Basic Maths says otherwise

Every club in Vic -150K. No exceptions. No more of some leagues having more than others, a level playing field for ALL!

Simple fact is most young blokes wouldn’t risk and injury that keeps them out of work or Woking a days overtime to play footy with the demands of training, functions etc for under $500 in premier divisions. All clubs are being creative in payments and to say otherwise is crazy. Country clubs with a similar cap are paying some blokes a fortune. They all do it. Don’t worry about payments and reduce the points. That would sort out a few. Also encourage investment in a decent junior
Program.

 

[Nvent]

In amongst all this salary cap breach hoo ha is a deeper issue in my opinion. If the salary cap is not consistently breached then leagues such as EDFL will have a limited life left in business. 130k split over 18 rounds equals $7,200 per round. 22 players per round equals an average of $328 per player. There is absolutely no way young fit men will continue to train and play football in front of a handful of people each week for this sort of money. If the salary cap is enforced across the board make no mistake the EDFL and all metro footy leagues have a maximum of 7 years to run before there will not be enough players to field any teams including 1's. Sure some players will get 1k a game but I can assure you no players will play for 0 so something will give long term.
Personally I think the 130k salary cap is a joke in todays age. The cap should be more like 400k and if your club cannot fund it then shut the doors.

You’re an idiot.

 

[Iceman27]

Isn’t there another boy from wallan at Strathmore aswell?

Yep, Cory Grindlay has gone there.

IMO, he will be the best of the lot from Wallan to take the step up to premier footy.

Can play and has had a couple of very good seasons lately at Wallan & Heathcote.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Basic Maths says otherwise

Simple fact is most young blokes wouldn’t risk and injury that keeps them out of work or Woking a days overtime to play footy with the demands of training, functions etc for under $500 in premier divisions. All clubs are being creative in payments and to say otherwise is crazy. Country clubs with a similar cap are paying some blokes a fortune. They all do it. Don’t worry about payments and reduce the points. That would sort out a few. Also encourage investment in a decent junior
Program.

If guys “can’t afford” to play for $300 ($5400) then they certainly can’t afford to pay for $600 ($10,800) or $1000 ($18k) either. That’s not paying any bills if they get injured and miss work. So what you’re saying doesn’t make any sense at all.

Players don’t play for a living and never have unless they are in the AFL.

The answer has never been more money. Because simply, the money’s not there. We’re a small country and a small sport which can’t sustain professionalism beyond 18 clubs (and even a few of them would be dead without support).

It can’t be about money. And it’s not. The vast majority of players don’t play for money. If they did then the game would’ve been dead decades ago. Some get paid and it’s a nice little side earn, that’s it.

They play for mates, memories, fitness, enjoyment and perhaps a bit of glory.

If the club indeed cheated then they cheated. History is full of cheats, somebody will always try it on. They have to pay the price and try to rebuild. No ranting about the system changes that.

 

[Del228913]

In amongst all this salary cap breach hoo ha is a deeper issue in my opinion. If the salary cap is not consistently breached then leagues such as EDFL will have a limited life left in business. 130k split over 18 rounds equals $7,200 per round. 22 players per round equals an average of $328 per player. There is absolutely no way young fit men will continue to train and play football in front of a handful of people each week for this sort of money. If the salary cap is enforced across the board make no mistake the EDFL and all metro footy leagues have a maximum of 7 years to run before there will not be enough players to field any teams including 1's. Sure some players will get 1k a game but I can assure you no players will play for 0 so something will give long term.
Personally I think the 130k salary cap is a joke in todays age. The cap should be more like 400k and if your club cannot fund it then shut the doors.

That's the problem with metro footy, most local kids under 22, will play for just paid for the win.

Keilor have guys in the reserves that play for nothing, that are good enough to be very good senior premier division footballers. The notion that you just keep bringing in vfl and ex afl players to win isnt sustainable. Keilor have 16+ in the reserves and thirds that could step up and be great players. That's actually good coaching, give them a chance and watch them grow.

This is community level sport, clubs shouldn't need to go over 150k.

I like ringos option, but it needs to be slightly skewed to allow for travel. Metro 125k, 135k Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong leagues 140k gv, hampden, Gippsland, 145 oandm Central murray Horsham and sunraysia

 

[Turbos mail]

Every club in Vic -150K. No exceptions. No more of some leagues having more than others, a level playing field for ALL!

Hey mate, wasn’t the cap pre COVID around 220k for premier..

 

[Who are ya]

Basic Maths says otherwise

Simple fact is most young blokes wouldn’t risk and injury that keeps them out of work or Woking a days overtime to play footy with the demands of training, functions etc for under $500 in premier divisions. All clubs are being creative in payments and to say otherwise is crazy. Country clubs with a similar cap are paying some blokes a fortune. They all do it. Don’t worry about payments and reduce the points. That would sort out a few. Also encourage investment in a decent junior
Program.

I could almost guarantee ringos mob are definitely not spending over the cap. Wouldn’t surprise me if they’re actually spending no way near it.

 

[Footytripper]

Maybe the simplest solution to this is to match the amount overspent in reductions over the next year. If the figure is 170000 then the clubs salary cap is reduced to 120000 less 85000 = 35000 Reduce their player points to 25 for year 1 and 28 for year 2. Remove the flags for the years overspent. If after two seasons they have met all requirements and audits then they resume on normal cap and points.
To fine them the equivalent amount impacts the hundreds of innocent members caught up in this and is over the top for local footy.
The people involved in the breaches should be suspended for the period of reduced cap. I am mindful that we are dealing with incorporated associations and there are rules around who can be officials and it should be decided by the members.
This will mean that over three years they will have spent the equivalent money of the salary cap.
I don’t think you can stop them competing for points as it would make it a waste of a game for both teams but they should start on -16 points at the start of both seasons.
This will mean the club will need to perform to stay up or down they go. Having to win on 35k and needing 8 wins to stay up will be a big ask.
Dropping them a division would upset the balance of the comp at this stage of the season with all clubs having recruited and prepared for their current divisions.
If Pascoe Vale were audited and passed then give them the flag. It is my understanding all grand final teams are audited so it should not be an issue.
We need to get it sorted quickly so the season can start and we can focus on the footy itself.

 

[past panther]

If guys “can’t afford” to play for $300 ($5400) then they certainly can’t afford to pay for $600 ($10,800) or $1000 ($18k) either. That’s not paying any bills if they get injured and miss work. So what you’re saying doesn’t make any sense at all.

Players don’t play for a living and never have unless they are in the AFL.

The answer has never been more money. Because simply, the money’s not there. We’re a small country and a small sport which can’t sustain professionalism beyond 18 clubs (and even a few of them would be dead without support).

It can’t be about money. And it’s not. The vast majority of players don’t play for money. If they did then the game would’ve been dead decades ago. Some get paid and it’s a nice little side earn, that’s it.

They play for mates, memories, fitness, enjoyment and perhaps a bit of glory.

If the club indeed cheated then they cheated. History is full of cheats, somebody will always try it on. They have to pay the price and try to rebuild. No ranting about the system changes that.

If you don’t think most look at $$ first, then try to recruit some A grade top 20 players to your club for $300 per game. Wouldn’t happen

 

[Stax on the mill]

Maybe the simplest solution to this is to match the amount overspent in reductions over the next year. If the figure is 170000 then the clubs salary cap is reduced to 120000 less 85000 = 35000 Reduce their player points to 25 for year 1 and 28 for year 2. Remove the flags for the years overspent. If after two seasons they have met all requirements and audits then they resume on normal cap and points.
To fine them the equivalent amount impacts the hundreds of innocent members caught up in this and is over the top for local footy.
The people involved in the breaches should be suspended for the period of reduced cap. I am mindful that we are dealing with incorporated associations and there are rules around who can be officials and it should be decided by the members.
This will mean that over three years they will have spent the equivalent money of the salary cap.
I don’t think you can stop them competing for points as it would make it a waste of a game for both teams but they should start on -16 points at the start of both seasons.
This will mean the club will need to perform to stay up or down they go. Having to win on 35k and needing 8 wins to stay up will be a big ask.
Dropping them a division would upset the balance of the comp at this stage of the season with all clubs having recruited and prepared for their current divisions.
If Pascoe Vale were audited and passed then give them the flag. It is my understanding all grand final teams are audited so it should not be an issue.
We need to get it sorted quickly so the season can start and we can focus on the footy itself.

The years in question were 2022 and 2023. Strathmore won the flag in 2022 and were runners up to Keilor in 2023. Despite my support for the Mores, I would not be in favour of awarding them the 2023 premiership under those circumstances. Too many what if’s.

Same as when Strathmore were ridiculously awarded the 2021 flag, despite the season being aborted with 5-6 games to go due to COVID.

 

[Brass Tap]

200k would be the perfect cap in my opinion

 

[The Longblow]

Where is the $4.00m coming from the pay these players in Premier Division.

There will be only 4 seasons remaining. All clubs will go broke.

400k not 4 million

 

[MortlockWatcher]

200k would be the perfect cap in my opinion

If AFL Vic set up the points system properly, salary caps would become redundant and the amount you spent would be less relevant.

If the points system was done right, if clubs decided to spend up big and ended up in shitter's ditch when the money runs out then it's their fault and no-one should feel sorry for them.

 

[BEST OF EDFL]

In amongst all this salary cap breach hoo ha is a deeper issue in my opinion. If the salary cap is not consistently breached then leagues such as EDFL will have a limited life left in business. 130k split over 18 rounds equals $7,200 per round. 22 players per round equals an average of $328 per player. There is absolutely no way young fit men will continue to train and play football in front of a handful of people each week for this sort of money. If the salary cap is enforced across the board make no mistake the EDFL and all metro footy leagues have a maximum of 7 years to run before there will not be enough players to field any teams including 1's. Sure some players will get 1k a game but I can assure you no players will play for 0 so something will give long term.
Personally I think the 130k salary cap is a joke in today’s age. The cap should be more like 400k and if your club cannot fund it then shut the doors.

Let water find its level

 

[Peta Deutschland]

[emoji640][emoji[emoji6[emoji640][emoji638]][emoji640][emoji6[emoji640][emoji638]]][emoji[emoji6[emoji640][emoji638]][emoji640][emoji6[emoji640][emoji638]]]k not [emoji640] million

For all ten teams in the comp when combined. Pretty sure most clubs out there aren’t raising six hundred k a year. Most are flat out getting enough to get through each season


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[Flyingleslieskite]

I heard that AFLVIC and the EDFL raided the canteen at Keilor to see if there were any brown paper bags stored in there for player payments

 

[ChaosMail]

Perhaps Chaos plays for Deer Park CC, and the Keilor faithful found out?


Was it any worse than this little dust up at a match in the Latrobe Valley yesterday?

Video: Wild scenes as brawl erupts in Australian cricket match in Victoria | Daily Mail Online

Wild scenes as brawl erupts in Australian cricket match in Latrobe Valley between raralgon Rovers and Gormandale Tigers at Duncan Cameron Memorial Park.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Can confirm I Saw a WANTED sign with my name on it In all the shop fronts at Keilor today

 

[Max Leader]

400k not 4 million

10 teams per grade equals $4.0m. Add the NFL, SFL, MPFL, OMFL, EFL and any other league. $20m+ for the top divisions. Add the second and third tiers, you are looking at $35m. That not feasible.

 

[Del228913]

200k would be the perfect cap in my opinion

200k is miles overboard, we have juniors paying extra so clubs have a revenue to recruit. That is far too much pressure on volunteers to raise the money to compete

 

[Bunk Moreland]

If you don’t think most look at $$ first, then try to recruit some A grade top 20 players to your club for $300 per game. Wouldn’t happen

Of course you pay more for recruits.

The entire system is set up to encourage growth from within.

If you don’t have a single senior player that will play for you for less than $300 then there’s something very wrong with your club.

Plenty of clubs have very good homegrown senior players playing for SFA - mostly because they recognise the less they take, the more there is to recruit and bring the club success. And also that it’s simply not worth the time and effort of changing clubs for what is, in the scheme of things, **** all money.

I would get all the money arguments if we were actually talking about people making their living and putting food on the table. We’re genuinely talking about blokes earning $10k more or $10k less over the course of a year if they move clubs to sell themselves. It’s absolutely laughable. It’s not even about money, it’s about ego. If you’ve got players going for those reasons then you’re in big trouble as a club.

An extra $100k a year is less than $5k each for each player. God help you if your players value their footy so much that they’ll **** off when somebody waves five ****in grand under their nose!

 

[Bunk Moreland]

I understand your points LB and they have some validity, but they are naive and close-minded considering DP are funded by the Deer Park Club to the tune upwards of $300k a year, it's easy for you, or someone from Keilor(funded by huge Junior Fees) to have this opinion but it's not Reality for the rest of the comp(maybe Abers and Pacco with their big backers)... Local Footy is not the old suburban footy we all grew up with and played/supported with pride of the suburb you grew up in, grew up with team mates and ran out together with a sense of belonging.
Local Footy is dominated now more than ever by clubs in a strong financial position(EFL, NFL, EDFL, RDNFL, SFNL). Time to merge all leagues together and play clubs in grades that fit their performance and financial positions, regardless of their location..

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that metro footy would be in far better shape if we got rid of all the leagues and did things properly with proper promotion and relegation so it’s sustainable.

Level 1 VFA

Level 2 VFA Div 2 NW

Level 3 NFNL
Level 3 EDFL / WRFL merged

Level 2 VFA Div 2 SE

Level 3 EFNL
Level 3 SFNL

Each level 3 has as many divisions as required

Promotion and relegation is two down and one up - eg at the end of each year two clubs get relegated from VFA and the premiers of each Level 2 league get promoted, and so on.

The bonus is the old VFA clubs have somewhere to go and if they’re not good enough, tumble down the leagues to where they now belong.

The metro leagues are a big problem. They are mini empires who will not give an inch for the greater good as they all see themselves as competition against each other. They have no interest in salary caps or points systems and had to have them forced by AFL Vic. They just want their own league to be the best.

You want clubs to play against those at their own level as much as possible and these pissant little metro leagues are a big barrier to that.

Mismatched clubs are a problem to some degree in the top division of every metro league.

 

[gohardorgohome]

I’d sent up clubs that have a good junior program with a point cap around 26-28.

Clubs that struggle with juniors get a point cap of 50-60…

Things will soon even out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Calmdowngoldy]

In amongst all this salary cap breach hoo ha is a deeper issue in my opinion. If the salary cap is not consistently breached then leagues such as EDFL will have a limited life left in business. 130k split over 18 rounds equals $7,200 per round. 22 players per round equals an average of $328 per player. There is absolutely no way young fit men will continue to train and play football in front of a handful of people each week for this sort of money. If the salary cap is enforced across the board make no mistake the EDFL and all metro footy leagues have a maximum of 7 years to run before there will not be enough players to field any teams including 1's. Sure some players will get 1k a game but I can assure you no players will play for 0 so something will give long term.
Personally I think the 130k salary cap is a joke in todays age. The cap should be more like 400k and if your club cannot fund it then shut the doors.

Agree , in one of the better competitions in Victoria if you can’t raise the finances to compete don’t play in it . The answer from the lower clubs is to hobble the stronger clubs by
Limiting junior numbers
Points applied to juniors
Turning away juniors from other clubs
Less points for the seniors
Harder caps
and other sanctions all of which I have read on this forum. I thought we wanted the strongest competition and to be watching the best local players going around but apparently no we don’t. My opinion is the comp has slipped in standard and yes numbers are dropping.