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Speaker 1: Now, after a comprehensive review and extensive consultation with Premier

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Speaker 1: League clubs, aflnts endorsed a number of by law changes

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Speaker 1: ahead of the upcoming season. Now. AFLNT say the adjustments

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Speaker 1: aim to improve competitive balance across the NTFL and to

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Speaker 1: simplify administrative processes and ensure greater financial accountability across the competition.

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Speaker 1: The newly introduced tiered model is now going to apply

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Speaker 1: across both the men's and women's Premier League competitions, giving

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Speaker 1: developing clubs greater capacity, they say, to build stronger lists

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Speaker 1: while maintaining the ability for all clubs to drive high

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Speaker 1: quality programs. Now joining us on the line is Lee Elder,

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Speaker 1: AFLNT Community Football Manager. Good morning, Lee, Good morning, how

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Speaker 1: are you yeah? Really good? Good to have you on

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Speaker 1: the show now, Lee. Seven by law changes set to

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Speaker 1: come in to play for the upcoming season. Why these

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Speaker 1: changes need it?

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Speaker 2: It's been a long time process. Obviously, we've developed a

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Speaker 2: lot since COVID. There's been over fifty percent growth in

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Speaker 2: the participation with that becomes a bit of a challenge

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Speaker 2: with growing pains. But we had some systems pre COVID

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Speaker 2: that were setting competitive balance and Obviously, the world changes,

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Speaker 2: the top ends change changed, and trying to get the

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Speaker 2: right balance to ensure that all clubs can see their

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Speaker 2: next success was the reason for this. We did a

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Speaker 2: major review back in twenty twenty one, and part of

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Speaker 2: that was to try and get the competitive balance right.

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Speaker 2: So we've been working with the clubs for about two

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Speaker 2: and a half years to try and get the systems right.

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Speaker 2: I'm not saying this is perfect. It will obviously take

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Speaker 2: some time to make it all work in place, but

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Speaker 2: ensuring that the top clubs can keep striving and the

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Speaker 2: bottom clubs have got the opportunity to catch up was

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Speaker 2: the key thing from these outcomes.

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Speaker 1: So let's walk through some of these changes. The first

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Speaker 1: off around fly and players. So previous restrictions on those

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Speaker 1: fly and players have been removed following some strong feedback

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Speaker 1: from the clubs. Tell me what this change is going

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Speaker 1: to mean in a practical sense for those clubs.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, So, obviously this has been a bit of a

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Speaker 2: challenge for clubs to manage, so it wasn't simple to follow,

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Speaker 2: it wasn't simple to administer, and therefore created work and

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Speaker 2: stress for volunteers. So if we're going to replace this model,

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Speaker 2: we needed to ensure that there's something that comes in

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Speaker 2: that gets the competitive balance, and that's why we've got

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Speaker 2: the TID system coming in at the same time. So

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Speaker 2: unfortunately the idea of the flying model had some good

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Speaker 2: merit on competitive balance. The reality is increase the workload

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Speaker 2: for the volunteers and create a lot of stress. So

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Speaker 2: we're glad we found a good solution to ensure that

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Speaker 2: that sort of replaced all that systems replaced well with

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Speaker 2: another competitive balance measure using the points as the key tool. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Right, So people clubs can still fly players in, is

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Speaker 1: that correct, but they're not sort of going to be

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Speaker 1: restricted in the number that they're flying in or how often.

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Speaker 2: Well, the points ensure that the restrictions are theirs. So

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Speaker 2: that creates the model that you get your greater opportunity.

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Speaker 2: But I think it's pretty strong from the coaches and

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Speaker 2: the clubs that the flyings are a short term gap

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Speaker 2: and getting people to relocate is a better model. So

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Speaker 2: that's what they're looking to do. They've seen probably back

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Speaker 2: in the early days fifteen twenty years ago. They saw

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Speaker 2: it as a quick, fixed solution, but the reality is

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Speaker 2: it's not great return for the clubs. On their investment.

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Speaker 1: Well, and presumably if you're a club that's got a

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Speaker 1: bit more money, you've got a bit more ability to

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Speaker 1: fly people in. Would that be correct?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's correct, and that's why we have the TID system.

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Speaker 2: So those clubs that are well structured in that case

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Speaker 2: have got limited points, so they've got less flexibility to

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Speaker 2: do that. Where the clubs at the lower end, and

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Speaker 2: this is all based around a three year performance, they've

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Speaker 2: got the ability to bring more players in.

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Speaker 1: So in terms of now the relocation concession, So the

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Speaker 1: previous player points concessions for players relocating to the Northern

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Speaker 1: Territory are no longer going to apply as supporting a

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Speaker 1: simpler and more transparent points system. So what does that

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Speaker 1: mean in terms of the relocation concessions for the various clubs?

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Speaker 2: In simple terminologies, an average punt of that loves the

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Speaker 2: NTFL can look at a player's profile but not match

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Speaker 2: to what their value is in the points system, if

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Speaker 2: that makes sense, Because we had all these little discounts

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Speaker 2: here and there, so now it's fully transparent. The total

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Speaker 2: points is the key thing to get the competitive balance.

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Speaker 2: Some clubs could use these reductions better than others, so

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Speaker 2: it was a better system to have no reductions whatsoever.

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Speaker 1: So in terms of the total player points allocation, sort

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Speaker 1: of talk us through the way in which the formula

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Speaker 1: is changing and is now going to apply to the

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Speaker 1: women's Premier League as well.

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Speaker 2: Yes, the uniform approach, so we're really glad that this

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Speaker 2: has been able to happen. So we've got both men's

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Speaker 2: and women's working under the same program. The clubs don't

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Speaker 2: fit under the same model is basically how each team

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Speaker 2: has performed over the previous years. So there's a top four,

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Speaker 2: there's a five to seven, and there's an eight to

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Speaker 2: last model, so they're the three tiers. Obviously, the top

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Speaker 2: tier has less points, the middle tier has ten points more,

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Speaker 2: and the lower tier has four points more than the

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Speaker 2: middle tier. So everyone has that ability to top up

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Speaker 2: and recruit their list if they've been struggling over the

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Speaker 2: last couple of years. So the AFL has a draft system,

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Speaker 2: we've got the points system works it the same way.

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Speaker 1: Now. Then in terms of the financial compliance, have we

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Speaker 1: had some clubs which were not compliant or why the

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Speaker 1: need for change there?

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Speaker 2: So a couple of things that we looked at in

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Speaker 2: twenty twenty one was to actually try and improve the

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Speaker 2: compliance and the governance of the whole competition, which is

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Speaker 2: this is trying to build models, so we're protecting clubs

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Speaker 2: from themselves and ensuring that everyone's living within their means,

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Speaker 2: so managing that every club can see not only its

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Speaker 2: next success, but also to ensure that it's got long

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Speaker 2: term futures. So they're the type of good governance models

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Speaker 2: we want to ensure we get into place.

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Speaker 1: Now, when you talk about that player eligibility, then when

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Speaker 1: it comes to the finals matches, what are the changes

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Speaker 1: that are going to come into place in this area.

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Speaker 2: So it's only in the Premier League model this has changed,

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Speaker 2: and this is to manage a little bit of managing

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Speaker 2: the amount of f lines that can come in which

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Speaker 2: you need to actually play six games other than five

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Speaker 2: to qualify for finals in the Premier League model. So

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Speaker 2: it's basically China service that we're looking after locals first

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Speaker 2: and then top up players from in the state second.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it does seem as though the AFL would rather,

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Speaker 1: you know, rather people sort of relocating here and playing

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Speaker 1: for the whole season rather than just flying in and

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Speaker 1: out for a few matches.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, it's best for the clubs. It's best for

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Speaker 2: the competition and it means the high quality you bring in.

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Speaker 2: That's why those AFL players are the lowest points that

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Speaker 2: you can get. We want quality to come into the

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Speaker 2: competition and quality to actually help our young talented juniors

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Speaker 2: actually develop well.

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Speaker 1: And also, I mean, we've got that many people playing

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Speaker 1: in playing footy in the Northern Territory at the moment,

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Speaker 1: but even when you look at those Premier League clubs

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Speaker 1: and if every club's got a few people relocating to

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Speaker 1: the Northern Territory, it's actually good population wise as well

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Speaker 1: to have them here for the whole season rather than

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Speaker 1: just sort of flying in and out for a little while.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely, we've gone from three and a half thousand participants

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Speaker 2: five years ago to over five thousand participants now and

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Speaker 2: we do have about six hundred that are involved in

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Speaker 2: winter competition. Some of those are actually nt people that

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Speaker 2: go and play in the winter competitions, but there are

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Speaker 2: a lot that like to experience the top end. So

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Speaker 2: we want to create a model where they're actually living,

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Speaker 2: working and giving back to the community and hopefully get

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Speaker 2: a queue to stay for longer term.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. Hey, in terms of the local transfers. That's one

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Speaker 1: of the other changes. So the NCFL local transfer rule

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Speaker 1: has been updated as well. How has this been changed.

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Speaker 2: So this was trialed in the women's last year. So

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Speaker 2: effectively it protects the lower club so a stronger club

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Speaker 2: can't just go and recruit four players from a lower

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Speaker 2: club's premier league model and just play them straight in

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Speaker 2: the premier league. So there's a max of one four

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Speaker 2: point player for the top level clubs, and there's a

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Speaker 2: support mechanism for the bottom clubs as well, so every

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Speaker 2: club can have a max of three So a lower

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Speaker 2: club taking from another lower club that can be a

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Speaker 2: max of three players. So it just protects the clubs

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Speaker 2: that are developing and are coming from the bottom.

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Speaker 1: I'm assuming that's given the fact that there's been plenty

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Speaker 1: of consultation happening. This change isn't just something that's happened

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Speaker 1: to overnight, as you said, It's been a couple of

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Speaker 1: years in the making. By the sounds of it. Have

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Speaker 1: clubs been notified now all these changes and what's been

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Speaker 1: the feedback so far?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, So it's been a long process. As I say,

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Speaker 2: a couple of these items have been on the table

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Speaker 2: for two or three years, but we started working with

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Speaker 2: the Premier League coaches in January this year to look

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Speaker 2: what was going to be in place for the following season.

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Speaker 2: Of course, every club views it differently and obviously they're

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Speaker 2: all in different positions, right, So the feedback has been robust,

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Speaker 2: which has been magnific, but the majority of the items

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Speaker 2: got overwhelming support by the clubs. Of course, everyone would

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Speaker 2: like a few little variations to suit their model, we

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Speaker 2: understand that, but the overwhelming support was great. We took

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Speaker 2: on the feedback. There were some slight changes from our

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Speaker 2: first submission, but that's what feedback, an opportunity to consultate,

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Speaker 2: sort of create. So we're really happy with the outcomes

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Speaker 2: like that. There'll be a bit of fine tuning over

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Speaker 2: the next couple of years, but we think we've really

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Speaker 2: got a good platform. We've done a fair bit of

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Speaker 2: player movement restructuring over the last three or four seasons

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Speaker 2: and we're starting to see some returns. We just want

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Speaker 2: to start seeing some competitive balance responses and this will

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Speaker 2: take time. Right, we don't fix some of the clubs

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Speaker 2: that need a bit of development immediately. It'll be two,

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Speaker 2: three four years before we get the full results.

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Speaker 1: And in terms of these changes and whether they do

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Speaker 1: sort of work well or not. I know you said

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Speaker 1: it's going to take sort of a few seasons to

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Speaker 1: be able to work it out. But are they set

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Speaker 1: in stone or is there a bit you know, is

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Speaker 1: there going to be a review after twelve months or

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Speaker 1: at the end of each season?

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Speaker 2: A constant review. We're always at that space because you

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Speaker 2: learn from experiences, you get feedback from clubs, you get

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Speaker 2: a bit more of an understanding of how some things

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Speaker 2: are working and impacting clubs. So we're constantly reviewing, We're

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Speaker 2: constantly listening, and we're constantly trying to find the right balance.

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Speaker 2: Our challenge is to try and support all twelve of

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Speaker 2: our clubs. It's hard to get that balance right. If

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Speaker 2: I ever make every club happy, I'm maybe lying to.

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Speaker 1: Them, I reckon, so it'd be hard to keep everybody happy.

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Speaker 1: Lee Elder, afl NTS Community Football Manager. Good to catch

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Speaker 1: up with you this morning. I appreciate you walking us

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Speaker 1: through all of these changes, and no doubt we'll talk

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Speaker 1: again soon.

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Speaker 2: Pleasure.

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Speaker 1: Thank you,