LUKE Beveridge is concerned AFL clubs will continue to lose talented people to other pathways given the soft cap restrictions.<\/p>\n
The cap currently sits 30 per cent below what it did in 2020 as the league looks to save money, with many doctors, coaches, physios and other staff unfortunately slashed.<\/p>\n
Those who remained likely took pay cuts while finding they still had the same, if not more, work on their plates.<\/p>\n
Beveridge said the \u201cgloss of working for an AFL club in the code has worn off for many\u201d because of this and fears the league will lose good people.<\/p>\n
As part of the solution, the Western Bulldogs coach would like to see the wage of the senior coach removed from the soft cap.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t speak for the other 17 (head coaches) but I have a guilt that the ratio of my pay in the soft cap and it\u2019s too much,\u201d Beveridge told SEN\u2019s Whateley.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all took a considerable haircut last year and we understood that, but the ratio is still there, but when you\u2019re thinking about your people and that you\u2019re getting paid a chunk and we\u2019re losing people and we\u2019re talking about small growth as far as the soft cap commitment goes, it still remains.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s achievable that you take the senior coach\u2019s salary out of the soft cap.\u201d<\/p>\n
In order to keep senior coach earnings in check and to make sure bigger clubs don\u2019t get an unfair advantage, Beveridge proposed an NBA-style luxury tax on their wages.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can have your own focused taxes on the senior coach\u2019s wage if you want to,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want to cap it at whatever and say that if a club is prepared to pay over it, for every dollar you spend you\u2019re taxed 50 per cent.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s a good way to go about it rather than doing it on the soft cap as a whole and leaving the senior coach\u2019s salary in it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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