AFL Victoria announced on Wednesday it would trial a points system throughout Victoria next year, before implementing it for the 2016 season.

Leagues in the AFL Goldfields region have not been ruled out of being part of the trial, but it is not yet known exactly which competitions will participate.

AFL Victoria will announce before Christmas where the trials will take place.

The proposals were tabled at a community leagues conference in Healesville on Wednesday, with feedback to be sought from leagues and regions.

AFL Victoria general manager Steven Reaper said the input from different football regions would be crucial before final guidelines would be announced.

“It was made very clear at the corresponding conference at the end of last year that the industry had an appetite to tackle this issue,” Reaper said.

“A trial will take place across a selection of metropolitan and country leagues next year and be thoroughly examined before being implemented statewide in 2016.”

As part of the survey that was filled out by 369 clubs across Victoria, 83 per cent believed whatever changes were made needed to be implemented statewide.

Around half of the clubs surveyed pushed for a statewide salary cap, although AFL Victoria said most of those not pushing for the cap were not opposed to it; rather they remained unsure.

“The working party agrees that any salary cap mechanism needs to be tailored for specifi c regions to incorporate demographic and geographical challenges faced by individual leagues across the state,” Reaper said.

“It also understands a salary cap needs to be supported by other measures, such as a player points system or an alternative equalisation provision, to have the desired impact on escalating player payments, and must also be enforceable.” 

The leagues conference will continue this week, before the working party breaks away to further investigate itsoptions.