New salary cap rules

[DaveO]

This is a copy of the post I made to the FAQ so people can discuss it here (and not clutter up the FAQ.

Announced on the 21st June 2007

My comments about what this will mean in reality in italics,

New “Home Grown” player rule to be brought in
New NRL style Salary Cap to be introduced in 2008

Next year’s engage Super League will boast more home grown talent than ever before and will operate a new Salary Cap system following a meeting between the RFL and the chief executives of all 12 league clubs this week.

At a two day summit held in Perpignan, France, the 12 club chief executives agreed to introduce a new “Home Grown Player” rule that will encourage clubs to actively promote the production of talented players.

From next year at least 20% of a team’s first team squad of 25 players must contain players who have graduated from a club’s Academy system or are aged under 21 years. By 2010 this number will have to increase to 24%.

So next year that means five players out of 25 must be from the academy and by 2010 six. At the moment we have Hock, Lockers, McIllorum, Goulding, Colbon and Tomkins so we already meet both assuming they all stay. There is now another incentive to keep them. Don’t know how this affects other clubs but I doubt they would have agreed to it if they could not meet it already. Clubs never vote themselves a bad deal.

During same period of time the number of overseas trained players must drop from 40% to 20%, with the remaining players in a 25 man squad to be made up of players who are Federation Trained or Academy Juniors.

I am not sure if that means as of 2008 you can only have 40% overseas players in your 25. 40% of 25 is 10 so that means next season Wigan could still have ten overseas players (as could any side). But by 2010 then we have to be down to five.

A Federation Trained player is defined as someone who for any three full seasons before his 21st birthday has been registered to a club of the same rugby league federation.

This is interesting because by my reading that means Harrison Hansen would not count as an overseas player. That means next season we could actually add another overseas player to our ranks and have 11 or by 2010 have five overseas players plus Hansen. I can’t think of any other club other than Wigan who have such a player. If so then this looks like a rule specially for Hansen and would prove once an for all we own the RFL

At the same meeting it was also agreed that from the start of the 2008 season a new Salary Cap system, similar to the one currently used in Australia, will be implemented.

The new Salary Cap system will be more proactive than the one currently in place and will calculate a club’s Salary Cap position at the start of and throughout the season, remaining ‘live’ at all times. This means that if a club wishes to sign a new player, the impact of that new salary will be assessed before the player is allowed to register.

This as I see it is just a formalising of the way the RFL handled the signing of Fielden and the bleating of several clubs who said we must be over the cap.

Nigel Wood added: “The current Salary Cap has served the game well but it has a number of drawbacks which we aim to put right under these changes. At the moment it is retrospective and a club breaching the salary cap cannot be dealt with until the following season.


“The new system, which is similar to the proven system in the NRL in Australia is ‘live’ and means a club can no longer breach the Salary Cap by miscalculation or mismanagement.”

I must admit I don’t know how this will work because at any point in time I am pretty certain a club could be over the cap one week and not the next as income fluctuates. I can see lots of disputes where the RFL claim a club is over, the club says they aren’t and byt the time the issue is resolved the goalposts have moved once more.

Dave

[Glynola]

Home grown rule: For Wigan this will never be a problem, but wonder if it will hit some of the clubs with smaller service areas hard.

I still think that without providing some kind of salary cap incentive (i.e. exemption/reduction of x number of academy players) there is not enough being done to encourage the retaining of academy players.

40% overseas rule Sounds like a great notion, but I bet clubs are already exploring potential loopholes as we speak.

The 'live' salary cap I agree with your point DaveO and don't think this will be a particular issue[/b]

[the grinch]

now what this game needs is more rules! will the players from our acadamy count on another clubs quota as home grown? is there any extra money being put into the salary cap to help teams develope players? and lastly are there enough young quality players to fill the void which will be left by overseas players. :doz:

[Mike]

the grinch posted:
now what this game needs is more rules! will the players from our acadamy count on another clubs quota as home grown? is there any extra money being put into the salary cap to help teams develope players? and lastly are there enough young quality players to fill the void which will be left by overseas players. :doz:

I think you're being a bit harsh here. Overall the rules seem quite sensible. Its pretty clear that players from our academy would count as home grown if they moved to another club whilst they are u21, but not after (unless they played 3 years at the other club in their academy).

I'd say that if there isn't the right number of quality british players to fill the gap left by departing overseas players now, then there will be in future as the clubs will have to produce them.

I'd criticise the fact that they aren't reducing the number of overseas players until after next season, but i guess thats down to the fact that many clubs have players signed on contracts they agreed under the present rules, and will have to have notice of changes in order to change their recruitment policy. I'd still say that 20% was too high as well. Also, what if you have a 30 man squad? Do the 5 extra players have to be british trained?

One other point, which federation would the Celtic Crusaders fall under - Welsh? Would they only be allowed 5 none welsh players in a potentail SL side? If Catalans are only allowed 5 non-French players in their side, the welsh should be the same, which may provide a stumbling block to their rapid progressing into SL. I'd expect clarification on this issue if they get promoted into NL1.

[Mike]

DaveO posted:

This is interesting because by my reading that means Harrison Hansen would not count as an overseas player. That means next season we could actually add another overseas player to our ranks and have 11 or by 2010 have five overseas players plus Hansen. I can’t think of any other club other than Wigan who have such a player. If so then this looks like a rule specially for Hansen and would prove once an for all we own the RFL

Robbie Paul?

[lucky 13]

More confused after listening and reading the releases and almost rite away alterations seem to have been made or is it me ? the 5 young players have they to come from your own youth system ?

Is there any amendments to the youth players not counting on the cap ?

Are there any changes planed on the level of the full limit surely this would go hand in hand . At the very least even if the cap remains the same each club should have to use the same amount on youth teams and development to keep a more level system .

[DaveO]

Morph posted:
Thought Hansen was classed as british, due to him being born here and therefore having a british passport!? so not on quota anyway.

No he is a Kiwi as far as the RFL are concerned under these rules as he represents NZ internationally. The federation thing is to cater for overseas players but who were produce by a UK clubs academy. Like Hansen.

By the way according to Hansen there was only one choice for him internationally and that was NZ.

Vievers son might be the same is he makes the grade.

Dave

[DaveO]

Mike posted:
I think you're being a bit harsh here. Overall the rules seem quite sensible. Its pretty clear that players from our academy would count as home grown if they moved to another club whilst they are u21, but not after (unless they played 3 years at the other club in their academy).

So that would mean Fielden would not count as a home grown player at Wigan?

If you are right that is the end of domestic transfers which can't be right.

Mind you the information could be read to mean that.

Also, what if you have a 30 man squad? Do the 5 extra players have to be british trained?

This is also not clear as they go on about a 25 man squad. I half expect another email saying clubs can't have more than a 25 man first team squad!

Dave

[lucky 13]

Automatic posted:
Well you won't believe it but the RFL have issues another press release that changes the new rules slightly:

"From next year at least five members of a club’s first team squad of 25 players must contain players who have graduated from a club’s Academy system or are aged under 21 years. This will increase by one player each year and by 2011 a squad must have 8 'Home Grown' players."

So that isn't 24% but 32% of a squad that will end up as "Home Grown" by 2011.

The new release also says:

"During same period of time the number of overseas trained players must drop from 40% to 20%, with the remaining players in a 25 man squad to be made up of players who are Federation Trained or Academy Juniors."

That just isn't very clear because if 20% are from overseas and the rest federation or academy players from whose federations or academy? The clubs or any clubs?

In other words it could mean 80% of players must come from you own club. Clearly it does not but a good example of how "professional" the RFL are issuing one unclear press release and following it with another with different info.

Dave

I thought the second release was changed still not sure think I will leave this for a couple of months until the RFL make their minds up or I will get a headache :eusa16: :eusa15: :eusa17:

[Dave Q]

[/quote]

DaveO posted:

At the moment we have Hock, Lockers, McIllorum, Goulding, Colbon and Tomkins

We have more than this who have come through our Academy, could also add Prescott, O'Carroll, Hansen