The gap between the wealthiest and poorest Australian Football League clubs "widened to a record margin last year but early indications this season are that the great divide is finally closing," according to Denham & Smith of THE AUSTRALIAN.
New equalization methods introduced for this year "are having the desired effect of slowing spending at the richer clubs."
The AFL confirmed that "there was a trend in the club budget estimates that showed the new taxes were biting." However, a senior AFL spokesperson said that the league "was reluctant to elaborate further until it received 'actuals.'"
Confidential AFL figures "show the gap between the rich and the poor grew again last year." Fremantle is not just at the top of the AFL ladder this season, it is also the No. 1 club for football department spending, outlaying A$24.8M last year, which included total player payments. Gold Coast sits "on the bottom of both the AFL ladder and the list of spenders," shelling out only A$18.3M last year.
However, the AFL "is confident the new competitive balance measures are hitting the target." One club CEO described the soft-cap football department tax as a "masterstroke" because it had already slowed spending at the high end (THE AUSTRALIAN, 6/11).
