The AFL has confirmed that father-son academies will be outside the spending cap on football departments, with Carlton establishing its first father-son academy.
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The Blues have been told that the father-son academy will be allowed to bypass the football department cap, which sees clubs heavily taxed if they exceed it.
The father-son academies, thus, are being treated under the same rules as the much larger local player academies in NSW and Queensland, which have also been subject to the same bidding system as father-sons in the draft – rules that are about to be modified as part of a major draft revamp.
Carlton is establishing its first father-son academy and is seeking to persuade Bailey Rice, the son of Dean Rice, to join the Blues, where his father was a premiership player two decades ago, in preference to St Kilda. The Blues can also recruit Jack Silvagni, the son of new list manager and club great Stephen Silvagni, under the father son rule, which is being revised.
Former Carlton player Ryan Houlihan is among those who have been interviewed for the (part-time) role overseeing the father-son academy at Carlton, which is a smaller operation than the academies aimed at developing players in the northern states.
Collingwood, Essendon and the Bulldogs all have versions of father-son academies, which clubs use to assess and coach the sons of former players and also as a means of fostering relationships with past players.
Essendon spend between $60,000 and $80,000 on their James Hird Academy, while Collingwood spend a little less on their Peter Daicos Academy.
The AFL have confirmed that, as with Carlton, these operations are outside the spending cap on football and will not be subject to the tax – which is about 33per cent for 2015 spending, rising to 75per cent in 2016 – a figure that has prompted all clubs, including Collingwood, to look at significant cuts in order to avoid a huge tax bill.
The Swans, who have the most advanced and costly operation, spend $1.2million on their academy, in which local kids in their zone can be trained but can only be recruited in the draft via the bidding system. The Sydney academy involves seven venues across NSW, 70 part-time coaches and four full time staff and is headed by former star Michael O'Loughlin.
The Brisbane Lions spends about $400,000 on its academy, having reduced its outlay on it as a result of financial pressures – which are significant for that club as it struggles on the field. Greater Western Sydney and the Suns also have their zones and academies, with the Giants set to acquire Jacob Hopper, rated one of the best players in the draft and almost certain to cost them a first-round pick. The Swans will pick up Callum Mills, who is likewise rated a first-round pick and excellent prospect this year, but the club doesn't think players of Mills' ilk or Isaac Heeney will come along regularly.
