CLUBS could be fined and suspended from finals if they breach a salary cap to be introduced to community football throughout Victoria next year.
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AFL Victoria outlined its proposed salary cap and player points system in detail on Thursday, in what looms as one of the biggest changes in community football history.
Players will have to sign statutory declarations when signing contracts under the proposed changes, with AFL Victoria-accredited integrity officers given the power to randomly audit clubs.
AFL Victoria will come down hard on clubs that breach either the financial salary cap or the player points cap, with club fines, loss of premiership points and suspension from finals all options should a club be found guilty of rorting the system.
It is expected the caps will start off high to allow for clubs to adjust, before they tighten in the coming years.
The contracts will be standard statewide and will disallow match payments for finals and sign-on fees.
AFL Goldfields regional general manager Rod Ward said it was unrealistic to expect all clubs to meet salary caps from day one, suggesting they could start off leniently to allow clubs to adjust.
Both the point caps and salary caps are expected to be made public once finalised.
"We probably won't have the salary cap where we think it needs to be right from the start, we are aware players have contracts and clubs have incentive schemes in place," Ward said.
"We might not have it right from the very start, it is going to need some adjusting."
The full breakdown of the player points system was also handed down.
It will be tested throughout June and July, with final framework for the 2016 season expected to be handed down in August.
Under the proposed system, players will be assigned a point value, ranging from one point to six.
An AFL player who has played a senior AFL match in the last three years will be valued at the maximum six points, while a home-grown player will be worth one point.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL BREAKDOWN OF PLAYER POINTS:
The better community players (those who have placed top five in their club best and fairest, top 10 in the competition best and fairest or led their club's goalkicking over the past three years) would be given four points.
TAC Cup players would also have four points, with VFL and players with state league experience over the past five years given five points.
Players can also have their points rating reduced or increased depending on a number of factors.
For example, a player transferring from the Ballarat Football League (a premier country league) to the Central Highlands Football League will be rated one point higher than a player doing the reverse.
Ward said it was likely clubs within the Ballarat region would be allowed differing amounts of points in order to make leagues as even as possible.
The final Community Club Sustainability Framework document is expected to be released on August 30.
