By Tara Murray
Keilor Football Club said it is “devastated” by the outcome to strip it of the 2023 Essendon District Football League premier division premiership.
The Blues faced a player payments disciplinary committee hearing on Tuesday night after charges were laid in relation to player payment rules for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
The committee found the club was in breach of the player payment rules in both years.
The club exceeded the $100,000 limit in 2022 by $605 and exceeded the allowable player payment limit of $110,000 by $45,100 in the 2023 season.
Sanctions imposed by the committee includes Keilor forfeiting the 2023 premier division premiership.
The club’s salary cap will be reduced by 15 per cent for each of the 2025, 2026 and 2027 football seasons, and the club has also been fined $50,000 with $20,000 suspended pending compliance by Keilor with the EDFL player payment rules for the 2025, 2026 and 2027 football seasons.
Keilor will be subjected to allowable player payment integrity reviews, at the club’s expense, at the conclusion of the 2025 and 2026 football seasons.
In a statement, Keilor president Shaun Morris said the club had been completely open and transparent to the EDFL, AFL Victoria and independent auditors from the beginning of the investigation.
“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,” he said.
“The Keilor Football Club takes pride in its leadership, integrity and passion for local sport and community involvement.
“We are run and operated by a wide variety of dedicated volunteers who work tirelessly to ensure that our club is run and operates to the levels that we do.
“While these sanctions are a setback, they will not define us. We remain committed to competing on the field with respect for the rules and guidelines of our competitions.”
Morris said while the club acknowledge the administrative error in timing of payments that led to this situation and breach, the club was well under the limit for the 2024 season and have been approved by AFL integrity auditor as part of this investigation.
“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 Victoria-appointed review panel,” Morris said.
EDFL chairman Ian Price said the integrity of the competition is paramount and it remains committed to upholding the rules and regulations of the league, and the expectation of clubs to adhere to those rules and regulations.
“We will acknowledge Keilor FC’s excellent co-operation and full disclosure throughout the integrity review and player payment disciplinary committee hearing,” he said.
“We also acknowledge that the club’s breaches were not dishonest or wilful.”
Keilor’s 2023 season was one of the most dominant in the EDFL competition.
The Blues went through the season undefeated and had an average winning margin of more than 80 points in the regular season.
No details have been released by the EDFL in regards to what will happen with the 2023 premiership. Strathmore lost that grand final.
