Dimboola Football Netball Club fined $10k for salary cap breach in COVID-affected 2021 season

The president of a country football-netball club says a salary cap infringement that cost the club $10,000 was due to a misunderstanding when the 2021 season was cancelled due to COVID-19.

The Dimboola Football Netball Club was fined $10,000 — with another $10,00 fine suspended pending further breaches — and had 12 premiership points deducted from its senior football side for the 2022 season, after what AFL Victoria described as a «clear» breach of the salary cap.

Dimboola club president Justin Ward said the breach had been caused by the club not understanding that its annual salary cap would be adjusted on a per-game basis.

Dimboola played just 11 games before the Wimmera Football Netball League season was cancelled in 2021 because of COVID-19.

This effectively reduced the club's salary cap for the season from $112,000 to $77,000.

Mr Ward said he had not been aware the cap would change so significantly in an altered season, and the infringement was «devastating» for the club.

«I don't want people thinking we spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on footballers and went way over the cap, because we didn't,» he said.

«It's unfortunate we didn't know the pro-rata system … but looking back now the rules were in place and were available to us at the time and we acknowledge that.»

Mr Ward thanked AFL Victoria for its «professional» process and handling of the matter, but said there was room for more education for club volunteers regarding the salary cap.

«It's very complex — we most definitely would like some more education and I'm sure other clubs would be in the same position,» he said.

As part of its penalties, Dimboola also had its available player points for the 2022 season reduced by 15 per cent, down to 38 total team points.

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