Essendon District Football League (EDFL) powerhouse Keilor Football Club were stripped of its 2023 premiership title after it was found they breached the league rules regarding the salary cap.
Keilor appeared ahead of the Player Payment Disciplinary Committee (PPDC), appointed pursuant to the EDFL Player Payment Rules, and was found guilty of the following.
"Exceeding the Allowable Player Payment limit of $100,000 by a total amount of $605 in the 2022 season and exceeding the Allowable Player Payment limit of $110,000 by a total amount of $45,100 in the 2023 season," the EDFL statement read.
As a result of their wrongdoing, the committee imposed the following sanctions:
- Keilor FC will forfeit the 2023 Senior Men's Premier Division premiership.
- 2. Keilor FC's Allowable Player Payments limit will be reduced by 15 per cent for each of the 2025, 2026 and 2027 football seasons.
- 3. Keilor FC is fined $50,000, with $20,000 of the $50,000 suspended pending compliance by Keilor FC with the EDFL Player Payment Rules for the 2025, 2026 and 2027 football seasons.
- 4. Keilor FC will be subjected to Allowable Player Payment Integrity Reviews, at the Club's expense, at the conclusion of the 2025 and 2026 football seasons.
"The integrity of our competition is paramount and we remain committed to upholding the rules and regulations of our league, and our expectation of clubs to adhere to those rules and regulations," EDFL Chairman Ian Price said.
"We will acknowledge Keilor FC's excellent cooperation and full disclosure throughout the Integrity Review and Player Payment Disciplinary Committee Hearing.
"We also acknowledge that the Club's breaches were not dishonest or willful."
Keilor released a statement following the sanctions handed down, with club president Shaun Morris revealing his devastation.
"While we acknowledge the administrative error in timing of payments that led to this situation & breach, we want to assure our community, that the player payments for the 2024 season were well under the allowable player payment limit, and have been approved by AFL Integrity Auditor as part of this investigation," Morris said.
"We would also like to confirm that all charges listed, had previously been ticked off and approved late in 2023, after we were originally reviewed by AFL VIC appointed review panel.
"We want to be clear, that despite this outcome, we do not believe we benefited in any way above the competition and all other competing clubs."
Keilor was audited following its 2024 premiership over Pascoe Vale Panther, a year in which it lost only two matches to claim back-to-back flags.
It faced the committee on Tuesday night at Windy Hill.
Under AFL Victoria regulations in 2024, metropolitan clubs in their league's top division could pay their players a maximum of $120,000, up $10,000 from 2023.
Former West Coast and Keilor player Damien Cavka has moved to silence the claims against his junior club.
In the WAFL league, Perth Football Club were penalised for their salary breach, receiving a suspended eight Premiership Points penalty plus a $25k fine and a penalty of 15 player recruitment points, 10 of which are suspended.
In the Ovens and Murray League, powerhouse Wangaratta Magpies, which was headed by Collingwood defender Ben Reid at the time (2023), were stripped of their premiership the year prior and fined $28,000, as well as not being allowed to play for premiership points in the first game of 2023.
