Australia and the World Past and Present

Over the past three decades, the AFL has introduced a range of measures designed to promote competitive balance and prevent wealthy or successful clubs from dominating indefinitely. The league’s philosophy has been that every club should have a realistic chance of rebuilding and contending for a premiership within a reasonable time frame.

The National Draft (1986 onwards)

The most significant equalisation measure has been the AFL Draft. The club that finishes last receives the first draft pick. Higher-ranked clubs receive later picks. This gives struggling clubs first access to the best young talent.

The Salary Cap (1987 onwards)

The AFL salary cap limits the total amount clubs can spend on player payments. The aim is to stop rich clubs buying all the best players, ensure talent is spread across the competition and give smaller clubs a chance to retain players.

The salary cap is often regarded as the AFL’s most powerful equalisation mechanism.

AFL Equalisation Funding

The AFL provides financial assistance to clubs with weaker commercial bases. Recipients have included North Melbourne, the Western Bulldogs and St Kilda. Without this funding, some clubs would struggle to remain competitive.

Priority Picks

At various times the AFL has awarded additional draft picks to clubs experiencing prolonged poor performance. Examples include Carlton, Brisbane and Gold Coast.

In many ways, these equalisation measures have been successful.

The AFL is generally regarded as one of the most equalised professional sporting competitions in the world.

Since 1990, premierships have been won by 13 different clubs.

Only a minority of clubs have not won a premiership since 1990. Examples include St Kilda, Fremantle, Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney.

However, some clubs still dominate from time to time. Despite equalisation measures Geelong has won four premierships since 2007 and rarely misses finals. Hawthorn won four premierships between 2008 and 2015. Richmond won three flags between 2017 and 2020. Brisbane has won the last two premierships.

Some clubs maintain strong advantages through excellent administration, better recruiting, strong membership bases, better facilities and geographic attractiveness for players.

The AFL constantly balances two competing goals. It wants to reward clubs that are well run but also prevent long-term domination.

If equalisation is too weak, wealthy clubs dominate. If it is too strong, clubs may feel there is little reward for good management.

Most sports analysts would argue the AFL’s equalisation policies have been broadly successful. While dynasties still emerge, they rarely last more than a decade, and clubs that fall to the bottom of the ladder usually receive enough assistance through draft access, salary cap concessions and financial support to become competitive again.

The result is a league where premiership windows open and close relatively quickly and where turnarounds are common.