Apply salary cap to off-field spending: Gale
By Ben Broad Fri 24 July, 2009
AFLPA chief executive Brendon Gale says the AFL should consider capping the amount each club was able to spend on its football department if it wanted to further level the playing field for all 16 clubs.
Gale said he supports the national draft and salary cap systems the League currently has in place, but suggested that regulating clubs’ football department spend each season can ensure maximum “competitive balance” in Australia’s premier sporting competition.
“I think if we are serious about competitive balance, and given that there is a correlation between your spending power and your likelihood of success, I think we’ve got no choice but to look at it,” Gale told afl.com.au.
Gale noted the different ways leagues around the globe operated but said the AFL had an opportunity to go a step further in ensuring clubs started on an even footing.
“Now the top four-spending clubs in the AFL spend nearly $17 million a year on football operations,” he said.
“The bottom four clubs spend about $12 million. So I’ll go out on a limb and say I reckon that spend or lack of spend has a bit to do with whether a club can be competitive or not.
“In fact I’ll go more than that and say there is actually a demonstrable correlation … the AFL’s figures tell us.”
Gale said clubs’ football department spending was “going mad” which potentially gave some clubs a greater edge over some rivals.
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/81198/default.aspx
