NORTHERN
FOOTBALL LEAGUE
PLAYER TRANSFER SYSTEM
2009
AFL Victoria
endorsed
Introduction.
The Northern Football League (DVFL) will continue to trial the player transfer system as
endorsed by AFL Victoria for the 2008 season. Following its introduction in some leagues in
2005, the player transfer system has been expanded to be used in the following leagues:
1. Dandenong & Districts Junior Football League
2. Northern Football League
3. Diamond Valley Football League
4. Eastern Football League
5. Moorabbin Saints Junior Football League
6. Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League
7. Riddell District Football League
8. Southern Football League
9. Victorian Women’s Football League
10. Waverley Junior Football Association
11. Western Region Football League
12. Yarra Junior Football League
13. Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League
As clubs are aware, the player transfer system applied to external transfers between DVFL
clubs and clubs in other leagues in 2005 and 2006, and continued in the NFL in 2007.
For the 2008 season and beyond, these arrangements will also apply for the transfer of players
between clubs in the NFL.
In summary, when a player lodges a registration and transfer form (see appendix 1), the former
club has six (6) clear working days to lodge an objection to the transfer. An objection may only
be lodged on one or more of the following grounds:
a) The player has a current and written contract to play at the club he is seeking to
leave.
b) The player owes money to the club that he is seeking to leave and the club can prove
this.
c) The player owes property or apparel to the club that he is seeking to leave and the
club can prove this.
d) The player is currently under suspension from the league tribunal.
Where a club objects to a transfer, the relevant documentation supporting their objection is
expected to be available and provided upon request. To assist clubs, a standard DVFL player
contract has been developed (see appendix 2) and is also available from the Forms Download
section of the NFL website.
A player will have a right of appeal against a transfer objection, with the appeal to be heard by
the NFL appeals board if the transfer is between two NFL affiliated Clubs. An appeal involving
clubs from two different AFL Victoria member leagues will be heard by the AFL Victoria
Independent Panel.
The trial arrangement will stop clubs being able to refuse a transfer because they are a “required
player”, as well as require former clubs to substantiate their objection to a player wishing to
transfer, based solely on contractual obligations owing of money or property. History has shown
that where matters have been referred to appeal, in almost all cases these are the reasons for
an appeal being upheld.
TRIAL TRANSFER SYSTEM DETAIL

Player lodges transfer with new club;

New club forwards transfer to affiliated league;

Where transfer is between clubs affiliated with same league, transfer is forwarded to
former club;

Where transfer involves clubs affiliated in different league (e.g. EFL or SFL), new
league forwards request to former league, who then forwards request with former
club;

Former club has six (6) clear working days to ensure that a response is provided to
the players new league (Day one is first clear day after lodgement with new league,
with reply from the former club to be received by the new league by 5pm on 6th
working day after receipt of transfer by the new league)

Former club may agree to the transfer (if player has a tribunal history, this must be
provided with the former club response, by the former league to the new league)
OR

Former club may refuse the transfer based only on one or more of the following:
-
The player has a current and written contract to play at the club he is
seeking to leave.
-
The player owes money to the club that he is seeking to leave and the club
can prove this.
-
The player owes property or apparel to the club that he is seeking to leave
and the club can prove this.
-
The player is currently under suspension from the league tribunal.

If the player disagrees with the objection, he may endeavour to resolve the matter
with his former club and lodge a new transfer or he may lodge an appeal against the
objection.

Where the appeal is to be heard by the NFL appeals board, the appeal must be
heard in accordance with the procedures of the appeals board, as outlined in the NFL
Statement of Rules and By-Laws.

Where the appeal is to be heard by an AFL Victoria Independent Panel, the appeal
must be lodged within ten (10) days of such objection being received by the new
league.

Where the former club wishes to defend the appeal, it must notify AFL Victoria of its
intention within four (4) days of being notified of the Appeal details from AFL Victoria.

In lodging the appeal and defence of appeal with AFL Victoria, both the Player and the
former club must lodge a bond of $550. A 20% admin fee will be retained from the
Appeal bond and such bond may be forfeited should the appeal or defence be
considered frivolous.

Should the former club fail to defend the appeal the player will be granted the transfer.
STANDARD CONTRACT DETAIL
A new concept associated with the player transfer agreement is the recognition of a standard
contractual arrangement. To assist clubs, a standard NFL player contract has been developed
(see appendix 2) and is also available from the Forms Download section of the NFL website.
Clubs will be required to read and understand the following criteria in relation to contracting
players:

Player’s must be 18 years of age to sign a contract.

For a contract to be valid both parties shall have signed the contract and neither shall be
in breach of contract

Clubs can sign as many players as they like to one year contracts.

A maximum of 15 players can be signed to multi year agreements.

No player can be contracted for a period longer than three years.

All contracts expire on the 31st October in the year the contract ceases.

If a player is not under contract or owes money or goods to his club, HE IS FREE TO
MOVE (up to June 30th) provided he lodges a transfer form.

A summary of players on multiple year contracts must be submitted to the League by
June each year.
A player will remain contracted to the club until the expiration of the contract, unless the former
club releases the player from the contract. In must be noted that a VFL / AFL contract will also
take precedence over this contract should the player wish to pursue their career at VFL / AFL
level, however should the player return within the time constraints of the initial contract the player
will still be bound to that club until it expires.